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[Chewykittens]

On my most recent forts I've come across something that, IMO, is more annoying than elves. Boulders and trees, these bastards block wagons from getting much needed heavy supplies to forts, like anvils which I never embark with.  My idea to prevent this blight is a mini-mega project, depending on the slope and size of the map.

 I plan to pave 3x10 roads as close to the edge of the map as possible, around the entire edge. This will connect to another road 3x10 or 5x10 depending on how patient I am by this stage, that leads to my front gate.  This plan minimizes the possible items to get in the way of wagons while using up as much rock as physically possible. It also minimizes the amount of trees I have to cut down and boulders I must pave. 

My questions to you are these:
1) Is this to much work dwarven?
2) Are there other ways?
3) What are your opinions about this plan?

Side note: My current map is dense forest/mountain with elephants (YAY!)

[3]

Alternatively, you could build an underground tunnel that links, via ramps, to roads around the edge of the map, and to your fortress entrance. The only problem here is if your fortress is a long way up the mountain, in which case you'll have to make a "spiral rampcase" for the caravans to go up within the mountain.
You could do the same thing with an overland construction - a sort of catwalk or skyway, if you like - though that doesn't strike me as too dwarfy.

[Quietust]

I personally prefer to pave a 3-wide road to the edge of the map in one place, then make sure that edge of the map is the only wagon-accessible location by blocking off all other 3-wide paths (with trees, constructed walls, or statues, plus a pair of raising bridges which can extend all the way to the edge of the map), thus forcing all caravans to enter the map at that spot (even Elves, despite the fact that they have no wagons).

[Chewykittens]

I like Quietust's method, but I personally be very annoyed with looking at random walls and statues at the edge of the map. The skyway to the fort idea sounds fun. Make it windowed so it would be a wildlife safari all the way to the fort.

[Arvidsem]

I tend to send out engravers and loggers to smooth and cut a path to the edge. Later I will floor a road out to edge of the map with stone blocks. I never use constructed roads because it annoys me that [q] selects them.

[Albedo]

I find "forcing" the caravans a bit, well, forced, but I hate losing caravans to ambushes, so I have... a plan...

Build tunnels (or skybridges) so they have entrances near to every part of the map, so the caravans can dive down them quickly.  This might be one to each border area block, so on a 6x6 this might mean... um... _{(carry the 2... cast 9's...)} about 20 separate entrances, tho' they could then join into the same tunnel later on.

Have each with a linked, usually shut drawbridge, and keep my central 3-wide entrance open when I'm expecting caravans (so they don't bypass the map entirely.)  Then throw the lever(s) to shut my central entrance and open the nearest border tunnel(s), and also send military down that tunnel.  With luck, the caravan will dive down there and get sealed in safely before any unpleasant greenskinned itinerants can come over to convert them to mulch.  (Some appropriate gobbo trap, natch - but I'm trying to wean myself completely off mech's traps for defense.)

Haven't put it into practice yet, so no proof of concept - but it seems both sound and adequately dwarven.