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The Lord of the Rings

The Road to Mount Doom

Frodo and Sam

The Ring-bearer's road from Bag End to the Cracks of Doom, the longest journey in the story

Distance
3,550 miles · 5,712 km
days
183
Places
25
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The Road to Mount Doom on the map of Middle-earth

Frodo left Bag End on September 23, TA 3018 and reached Mount Doom on March 25, TA 3019, roughly six months and about 1,800 miles by road, river and mountain path.

This is the spine of The Lord of the Rings, and on the map it runs from the far northwest corner to the far southeast. Frodo sets out from Hobbiton on September 23, TA 3018, the day after his fiftieth birthday, meaning to reach Rivendell. He never manages to travel simply: the first week alone brings Black Riders on the road, Old Man Willow in the Old Forest, Tom Bombadil's house and a barrow-wight on the Downs.

The first stage ends at the Ford of Bruinen on October 20, where Frodo is nearly overtaken by all nine Nazgul with a Morgul-knife wound in his shoulder. He wakes in Rivendell, and the Council of Elrond turns a flight into an errand. The Fellowship leaves on December 25 and the middle stage of the journey follows: Caradhras, Moria and the loss of Gandalf, then Lothlorien, then the Great River.

At Amon Hen on February 26, TA 3019, Boromir tries to take the Ring and the company breaks. Frodo and Sam cross the river alone, and from here the route stops looking like a road at all. They scramble through the Emyn Muil, capture Gollum, cross the Dead Marshes, are turned back at the Black Gate, and go south through Ithilien with Faramir's rangers before turning east again at the Cross-roads.

The last stage is the worst. Gollum leads them past Minas Morgul and up the stairs of Cirith Ungol into Shelob's lair. Frodo is stung, taken by Orcs, rescued by Sam, and the two of them walk across the ash plain of Gorgoroth in disguise. On March 25 Frodo stands at the Cracks of Doom, claims the Ring, and loses it to Gollum, who falls into the fire with it.

The journey does not end at the mountain. Frodo is honored at Cormallen, crowned Aragorn's friend at Minas Tirith, walks home to the Shire, and finally rides west to the Grey Havens in TA 3021.

Frequently asked questions

How long did Frodo's journey to Mount Doom take?

Just over six months. He left Bag End on September 23, TA 3018 and destroyed the Ring on March 25, TA 3019, with a two-month stay in Rivendell and a month in Lothlorien along the way.

How far did Frodo and Sam walk?

Roughly 1,800 miles from Hobbiton to Mount Doom by the route they actually took, which detoured through the Old Forest, Moria, Lothlorien and the long southern loop through Ithilien.

Why did Frodo not go through the Black Gate?

The Morannon was shut, heavily guarded and watched from both towers when he reached it on March 5, TA 3019. Gollum offered the pass of Cirith Ungol above Minas Morgul as the only other way in.

Route, stop by stop

  1. 01 · TA 3018, September 23

    Hobbiton

    Frodo, Sam and Pippin leave Bag End on foot on the evening of the day after Bilbo's birthday, having sold the house to the Sackville-Bagginses. A Black Rider is sniffing along the lane before they are a day out.

  2. 02 · TA 3018, September 25

    Crickhollow

    The hobbits cross by the Bucklebury Ferry to the house Frodo has bought as a cover story. Merry and Pippin reveal their conspiracy: they have known about the Ring for years and are coming too.

  3. 03 · TA 3018, September 26

    Old Forest

    To dodge the Riders they cut through the hedge into the Old Forest. The trees herd them to the Withywindle, and Old Man Willow traps Merry and Pippin in his trunk.

  4. 04 · TA 3018, September 26 to 28

    Tom Bombadil's House

    Tom Bombadil sings them free and takes them in for two nights. The Ring has no effect on him at all, and he hands it back after putting it on and not vanishing.

  5. 05 · TA 3018, September 28

    Barrow-downs

    Fog on the Downs separates the party and a barrow-wight takes them. Frodo cuts off the groping hand with a sword and calls for Tom, who breaks the mound and gives each hobbit a Numenorean blade.

  6. 06 · TA 3018, September 29

    Bree

    At the Prancing Pony, Frodo accidentally puts on the Ring while singing on a table and vanishes in front of the whole room. Strider takes charge, and Gandalf's letter arrives months late.

  7. 07 · TA 3018, October 6

    Weathertop

    Five Nazgul attack the camp in the dell below the old watchtower. Frodo puts on the Ring, sees the Riders as they truly are, and is stabbed in the shoulder with a Morgul-knife.

  8. 08 · TA 3018, October 20

    Ford of Bruinen

    Glorfindel's horse carries Frodo to the crossing with all nine Riders behind. The river rises in a flood of white horses, Elrond and Gandalf having set it, and Frodo collapses on the far bank.

  9. 09 · TA 3018, October 24 to December 25

    Rivendell

    Elrond removes the knife-splinter that has been working toward Frodo's heart. At the Council on October 25 the Ring is set on the table, Frodo says he will take it, and the Fellowship of the Ring is chosen.

  10. 10 · TA 3019, January 11 to 12

    Caradhras

    The Fellowship attempts the Redhorn Pass and is stopped by a snowstorm that Gimli says is the mountain's own ill will. They dig out and turn back, which leaves only Moria.

  11. 11 · TA 3019, January 13 to 15

    Moria

    About two days in the dark, from the night of January 13 to January 15. The company finds Balin's tomb and the record of the colony's end, fights orcs and a cave-troll in the Chamber of Mazarbul, and on the Bridge of Khazad-dum Gandalf falls with the Balrog.

  12. 12 · TA 3019, January 15 to February 16

    Lothlórien

    Haldir leads the grieving company into the Golden Wood. Galadriel tests each of them, shows Frodo and Sam her Mirror, and refuses the Ring when Frodo offers it. They leave with boats, lembas and elven-cloaks.

  13. 13 · TA 3019, February 25

    Argonath

    The boats pass between the two colossal statues of Isildur and Anarion that mark the old northern border of Gondor. Aragorn sits upright in the stern and for a moment looks like the king he is.

  14. 14 · TA 3019, February 26

    Amon Hen

    Boromir follows Frodo up the hill and tries to take the Ring by force. Frodo escapes invisible, sees the Eye from the Seat of Seeing, and decides to go on to Mordor alone. Sam catches him at the boats.

  15. 15 · TA 3019, February 26 to 29

    Emyn Muil

    Three days lost in a maze of razor-backed stone above the river. They climb down a cliff by elven-rope in the dark and catch Gollum crawling after them, then bind him with the Ring's own oath.

  16. 16 · TA 3019, March 1 to 2

    Dead Marshes

    Gollum leads them across the drowned battlefield of the Last Alliance, where faces of Elves, Men and Orcs lie under the water and candles lure travelers off the path. A Nazgul passes overhead on a winged beast.

  17. 17 · TA 3019, March 5

    Black Gate

    They reach the Morannon and find it shut, watched and impossible. Gollum offers a second way in, far to the south, and Frodo takes the risk rather than turn back.

  18. 18 · TA 3019, March 7

    Henneth Annûn

    Faramir's rangers ambush a column of Haradrim in Ithilien and take the hobbits to the hidden refuge behind the waterfall. Faramir works out what Frodo is carrying and lets him go anyway.

  19. 19 · TA 3019, March 10

    The Cross-roads

    At the meeting of the roads they find a king's statue with its head struck off, and the fallen head lying by the road with a flowering creeper grown across its brows like a crown. Frodo takes it as a sign that they cannot conquer forever.

  20. 20 · TA 3019, March 10

    Minas Morgul

    They hide beside the road as the Witch-king rides out of the dead white city at the head of a great army bound for Osgiliath. Frodo feels the pull to put on the Ring and resists it himself, closing his hand on the Phial of Galadriel instead.

  21. 21 · TA 3019, March 12 to 14

    Cirith Ungol

    The straight stair, the winding stair, and then Shelob's tunnel, where Gollum betrays them. Sam drives the spider off with Sting and the Phial of Galadriel, takes the Ring from what he thinks is Frodo's body, and then rescues him from the Tower on March 14.

  22. 22 · TA 3019, March 25

    Mount Doom

    After crossing Gorgoroth in orc-gear, Sam carries Frodo up the mountain road. At the Cracks of Doom Frodo claims the Ring for himself, Gollum bites it from his hand and falls into the fire, and Barad-dur comes down.

  23. 23 · TA 3019, April 8

    Field of Cormallen

    Rescued from the slopes by Gwaihir, Frodo and Sam wake in Ithilien to find Gandalf alive and the war won. The whole host of the West stands and praises the Ring-bearers by name.

  24. 24 · TA 3019, May 1

    Minas Tirith

    Frodo attends Aragorn's crowning as King Elessar and stays through the summer for the wedding at Midsummer, before the long journey home by Rohan, Isengard, Rivendell and Bree.

  25. 25 · TA 3021, September 29

    Grey Havens

    Two years after the Shire is scoured, Frodo's old wounds will not heal. He rides west with Bilbo, Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel and takes ship from Mithlond, with Sam, Merry and Pippin watching from the quay.