To get to Goron City from the Lost Woods in the Ocarina of Time remake, enter the woods from Kokiri Forest, turn right, then left, then take the exit straight ahead: it is a tunnel that comes out in Goron City. The catch is that boulders seal the Goron City end, so the shortcut only works once you have blown them open from inside the city.
Young Link can do that before he owns a single bomb, with a burning Deku Stick and a Bomb Flower. Below is where the tunnel comes out, how to open it, the turns in both directions, and when the shortcut is worth taking.
Where the Shortcut Comes Out in Goron City
Goron City is a hollow inside Death Mountain, built in rings around a big urn in the middle, with stairs from one level to the next. You first arrive at the top, from Death Mountain Trail; our Death Mountain guide covers getting there, including the guard in Kakariko who wants to see Zelda’s Letter.
The Lost Woods passage is on the level just above the bottom floor. Look for a tunnel stopped up with boulders, with two torches beside it and Bomb Flowers growing in the passage. That is the far end of the Lost Woods tunnel.
How to Open the Shortcut Without Bombs
A Bomb Flower goes off when fire touches it, so a lit Deku Stick does the job of a bomb.
- Carry Deku Sticks. The Kokiri Shop sells them for 10 rupees each, as our Deku Shield guide notes.
- Go to the bottom floor and open Darunia’s room. Stand in front of the closed door on the north side and play Zelda’s Lullaby (Y, X, A, Y, X, A after pressing left on the D-pad to bring out the ocarina).
- Light a Deku Stick. Hold R to open the quick-select bar and put Deku Sticks on ZR, as our quick swap guide explains. Press ZR to hold one out and touch it to one of the lit torches at Darunia’s room.
- Climb one level and light the two torches by the tunnel. A Deku Stick burns down quickly, so lighting them gives you fire right beside the Bomb Flowers. If your stick goes out on the way, light a fresh one and try again.
- Touch the burning stick to a Bomb Flower and back away. The blast breaks the boulders and the way into the Lost Woods is open.
Other ways in. Once Darunia has given you the Goron’s Bracelet, you can pull up a Bomb Flower and throw it at the boulders instead, and after Dodongo’s Cavern a bomb from your Bomb Bag works too.
In the 1998 game the passage stayed open for good once it was cleared, as both young and adult Link, and we have not confirmed any change to that in the remake.
The Route Through the Lost Woods
The Lost Woods are a maze of identical clearings, and any wrong exit puts you back at the Kokiri Forest entrance with nothing lost. The music drifting through the woods leads to the Sacred Forest Meadow, not to Goron City, so for this tunnel count the turns instead. These are the turns of the 1998 layout, which the remake’s woods follow.
| Where you start | Turns | Where you end up |
|---|---|---|
| Kokiri Forest entrance | Right, left, then straight ahead | The tunnel to Goron City |
| Coming out of the Goron City tunnel | Left, left, straight, left, right | The Sacred Forest Meadow |
The first clearing on the right is easy to recognize: it has a target hanging over a stump and the Skull Kids who run an ocarina game. Take that clearing’s left exit, and in the next one the tunnel to Goron City is straight in front of you. With that exit in front of you, turn right for the shortcut toward Zora’s Domain, which our Zora’s Domain guide covers.
For everything else in the woods, including the full route to the meadow from Kokiri Forest, see our guide to getting through the Lost Woods.
When You Can Use It
On your first visit to Goron City as young Link. You can only open the tunnel from the Goron City side, so your first trip there is always the long way, up Death Mountain Trail. Open it while you are in town and every later trip is shorter.
When Darunia sends you looking for music. This is the shortcut’s big moment. Darunia, the Goron leader, will not help until you play him Saria’s Song, and Saria teaches it in the Sacred Forest Meadow, on the other side of the Lost Woods. With the tunnel open, the round trip looks like this:
- Go through the tunnel into the Lost Woods.
- Take left, left, straight, left, right to the Sacred Forest Meadow and learn the song from Saria at the top. Our 1998 guide to finding Saria covers how the meadow worked in the original.
- Head back into the woods. If you lose your way, any wrong exit drops you at the Kokiri Forest entrance, and from there it is right, left, straight to the tunnel.
- Walk through to Goron City and down to Darunia, who rewards the song with the bracelet that opens Dodongo’s Cavern. Our bomb guide has what comes next.
For the rest of the game. The tunnel and the Zora’s Domain shortcut sit side by side in the woods, so the Lost Woods tie Kokiri Forest, Death Mountain and the Zora side of Hyrule together. That is worth remembering on the Biggoron Sword trade, since two of its deliveries end on Death Mountain’s summit.
Tips Before You Go
- Bring spare Deku Sticks. If one burns out before you reach the Bomb Flowers, you need another.
- Win the Skull Kids’ ocarina game while you pass. It sits in that first clearing on the right, and repeating their tunes earns a Piece of Heart. Our Heart Piece guide lists it with the rest.
- Save in Goron City first. Our save guide shows where the option is.
Every remake guide is on our Zelda hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get to Goron City from the Lost Woods in the Ocarina of Time remake? From the Kokiri Forest entrance, go right, then left, then straight ahead into the tunnel. It only leads through once the boulders at the Goron City end are cleared.
Why is the Lost Woods shortcut to Goron City blocked? Boulders seal the Goron City end of the tunnel. Clear them from inside Goron City by setting off one of the Bomb Flowers beside them.
How do you open the shortcut without bombs? Light a Deku Stick at the lit torches at Darunia’s room on the bottom floor, carry it up one level, light the two torches by the tunnel, and touch the stick to a Bomb Flower.
Where is the Lost Woods passage in Goron City? On the level just above the bottom floor: a boulder-blocked tunnel with two torches beside it.
How do you get from the Goron City tunnel to Saria? Coming out of the tunnel into the Lost Woods, go left, left, straight, left, right to reach the Sacred Forest Meadow.
Does the shortcut stay open? In the 1998 game it stayed open for good once cleared, for both young and adult Link, and we have not confirmed any change in the remake.