The poem describes a traveler stopping in the woods on a snowy evening to watch the woods fill with snow. The traveler knows whose woods they are, though the owner's house is in the village nearby. The owner will not see the traveler stopping there. The traveler's horse may think it's strange to stop without a nearby farm between the woods and frozen lake on this darkest evening of the year. The poem suggests the time in the forest is evening during winter, when the lake has frozen over due to cold temperatures. The line "Miles to go before I sleep" indicates the traveler has further to travel before reaching their destination and resting for the night.