The Upper Puntledge River is a crazy section of massive slides and the occasional waterfall. Due to the amount of blind horizon lines it is not recommended to show yourself down. The Upper Puntledge River is located in a run-of-river hydropower section that needs heavy rain or snowmelt to trigger a release from the BC Hydro dam upstream. Paddlers usually continue through the Lower Puntledge (III+). Look for these runs and others in a guidebook by the Vancouver Island Whitewater Paddling Society.
Flows
Flows in the Upper Puntledge are released from the BC Hydro's Comox Dam (PUNTLEDGE RIVER BELOW DIVERSION 08HB084). Recommended flows for the Upper Puntledge are 80-120cms.
BC Hydro provides release forecasts for the Comox Dam for the upcoming 3-4 days on its website. Use the "Forecast Puntledge River Gauge 6 Flow," not the "Forecast Comox Discharge." https://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/operations/transmission-reservoir-data/reservoir-discharges/comox-dam.html
The dam releases are most common just before and during big rain events, to make room in the reservoir for the incoming water. Releases are often timed for low tide to prevent flooding in town. High tide or the upcoming end of a storm can sometimes cause the release to end abruptly. In years past, BC Hydro coordinated a dam release for one weekend in May or June for the Puntledge River Paddle Festival.
2010 hydrograph, maximum, median and minimum flows for the PUNTLEDGE RIVER BELOW DIVERSION (08HB084). The maximum values (green) should give an impression of what time of year the river be more likely to have a dam release. The 2010 values (red) give an example year and also show the unpredictable nature of these releases.
An example of the BC Hydro discharge forecast chart, during very low water with only minimum fish flows of 6cms being released into the river below the diversion. Use the "Forecast Puntledge River Gauge 6 Flow", not the "Forecast Comox Discharge."
Shuttle
Access to the take out for the Lower Puntledge (III+) is easy, with many options located in downtown Courtenay, a common one being at the bridge on Condensory Road. Access to the put in for the Upper Puntledge (V) is found off Forbidden Plateau Road at Barber's Hole Parking for Nymph Falls Regional Nature Park. From the parking lot, which is located next to a huge field/airstrip, walk ~500m upstream to the southwest along trails and an old road to a put in on river left, just below the diversion dam. The dam release sirens will probably be going off.
BC Hydro map of Puntledge recreation area.
On the water
Find a guide to show you down. Scouting is not practical due to very long rapids with forested banks, and would often be trespassing on private property. The run consists of several complex and sometimes shallow slides, often with huge ledge holes at the end. Fish ladders have been constructed within many of these slides, and must be avoided. Logs are often sprinkled around the wide riverbed and hung up on the slides.
In addition to the slides, there are two notably larger drops: Nymph Falls and Stotan Falls. Located fairly early on in the run, Nymph Falls is usually run down the right channel, which is a steep and fast slide about 10m tall with an undercut right wall. Trails on river left give a partial view of the approach to this slide, but the crux remains out of view behind the island. Further downstream just after the second road bridge (Duncan Bay Mainline), Stotan Falls is a very fun multi-tiered drop run down the left channel: a couple vertical 5m drops combined with holes and slides. Shortly after Stotan Falls, the confluence with the Browns River is on the left, which marks the beginning of the play run. Most paddlers finish by paddling out the Lower Puntledge play run (III+) to Courtenay, watching out for the riverwide weir at the hatchery.
The left channel at Nymph Falls is not recommended. The right channel that is usually run is in the far background.
Stotan Falls looking downstream.
Stotan Falls.
Much of the time the Puntledge River flows through this pipe on river right.
