The 22-km Puntledge runs out of Comox Lake, through downtown Courtenay, and into the Courtenay River estuary. It is the largest of the valley's salmon-bearing rivers — all five Pacific species spawn here — and a paved walking trail follows the lower riverbank for several kilometres past pools and gravel bars.
The river is also the site of the 1988 elasmosaur fossil find, and the riverbank shale still produces marine fossils after winter floods scour the banks. The Courtenay Museum runs supervised digs in summer.