Godeanu (Șureanu Mountains)

Godeanu (Rom. Vârful Godeanu) is a 1,656 m peak in the Orăștie Mountains, the northern part of the Șureanu Mountains (Southern Carpathians), in Hunedoara County. It should not be confused with the peak of the same name in the Godeanu Mountains to the southwest (on this site as “Godeanu (peak)”). A steel cross stands on the summit. The nearest village is Grădiștea de Munte (about 9.3 km in a straight line), and on the slopes below the ridge lies the Dacian site of Sarmizegetusa Regia.

Getting there / routes

The best-known approach is the red cross trail “Costești – Sarmizegetusa Regia – Godeanu peak”. According to muntii-nostri.ro, it starts at the Costești recreation area with a tourist information center and follows the Grădiștea valley—this is the entrance to the Grădiștea Muncelului – Cioclovina Nature Park. After about 8 km is the village of Grădiștea de Munte, and another 8 km up the valley is the foot of Grădiștea hill at the confluence of the Godeanu and Albe valleys. To Sarmizegetusa Regia, the markings follow the paved DJ705A road (19 km), but at this confluence, an older and more scenic option branches off—a well-marked path along the Grădiștea ridge through beech forest, leading directly to the monument’s ticket office.

After visiting Sarmizegetusa, the trail climbs northeast through dense forest, crosses a forest road, and then follows it uphill. Exiting the forest, it passes an ancient beech spared by loggers. From here, there are no more red cross markings, but ascending the pasture you’ll reach the Muncelului ridge near the namesake peak with a simple wooden cross. On the ridge road, turn right (east) over several minor summits; near Godeanu, the road bypasses the peak, so it’s better to take the direct path—just 250 m and 35 m elevation to the summit. The entire route is 22.9 km, about 9 hr 45 min and 1,767 m ascent; the authors rate it as easy and suitable for mountain bikes, but long—8–10 hours on foot.

Another route, blue stripe from Costești via Porumbelu Mare peak (40.2 km, about 18 hours), also mostly follows roads. According to muntii-nostri.ro, it passes the Dacian fortress Costești-Blidaru (about 150 m off the route), follows the Pietrosu ridge, from where you can see the Mureș floodplain and the Retezat Mountains in clear weather, passes the hamlet of Leurda, the villages of Târsa and Prigodniște, and then the Poiana Omului clearing with ancient scattered beeches, a very old cross, and a motorcyclist’s monument. Further along the ridge: alternating meadows and beech woods, a covered roadside chapel-shelter, a saddle with a sheepfold (150 m away) and a spring (50 m away).

Safety, season and rules

Trail markings on both routes disappear in places—bring an offline map. Sarmizegetusa Regia has a ticket office at the entrance—entry is by ticket. The nearest springs marked on the site are Spring (Măgureni) and Spring (Grădiștea de Munte), 1 211 m (about 2.7–3 km away). Bears are common in the Romanian Carpathians: stay on marked trails, make noise, avoid dusk, and don’t keep food in your tent; near sheepfolds, sheepdogs may attack—don’t run, stop and shield yourself with your backpack (advice from Salvamont România).

In case of emergency, call the national mountain rescue dispatcher 0SALVAMONT — 0725 826 668 or 112.