Where is the poet going (in "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening")?

The first question to ask is: “Is the poet the narrator in the first person”? This is a legitimate question because, according to Aristotle, a poem only has one narrator, and our assumption is that the poet is putting himself in that position (many poems use this convention: “When I have fears that I may cease to be,” "Oft in a stilly night ‘ere slumber’s chains have bound me,” etc.).

Having equated the poet with...

The first question to ask is: “Is the poet the narrator in the first person”? This is a legitimate question because, according to Aristotle, a poem only has one narrator, and our assumption is that the poet is putting himself in that position (many poems use this convention: “When I have fears that I may cease to be,” "Oft in a stilly night ‘ere slumber’s chains have bound me,” etc.).

Having equated the poet with the speaker, then, we can find several clues in the poem to justify the conclusion that the speaker/poet is returning home (after a day in town, perhaps). “My little horse must think it queer”: one can infer that this a routine journey. “Miles to go before I sleep” can be seen as looking forward to being in his own bed (although an inn or friend’s home could also be meant); “promises to keep” infer promises made to known people, perhaps to his family after being away (that it infers his family is pure speculation of course).

All these clues together imply the end of a journey. Symbolically, the poem is discussing any journey, even a "life's journey," as such the "dark and deep" woods could be any distraction from any journey's goal.