| Puelo River | |
| Pushpin Map: | Chile |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of mouth |
| Source1 Location: | Puelo Lake |
| Mouth Location: | Reloncaví Estuary (Pacific Ocean) |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -42.1167°N -71.7167°W |
| Subdivision Type1: | Countries |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 670m3/s[1] |
The Puelo River has its origin in Lake Puelo in Argentine, and flows north-west through the Andes into Chile and the Reloncaví Estuary of the Reloncaví Sound at the northern end of the Gulf of Ancud.[2]
Just 800m (2,600feet) downstream from its source in Puelo Lake, the river enters Inferior Lake.[3] After leaving the lake, the river flows in a generally northwesterly direction, receiving the waters of a chain of lakes, the largest being Azul and Las Rocas. It also receives the waters of Ventisquero and Traidor rivers. A part of the northernmost border of Pumalín Park approximately parallels the course of the Ventisquero River. Traidor River rises in Hornopirén National Park.
A large northern tributary of the Puelo, the Manso, has its sources in Mascardi Lake and other lakes and streams south-east of the Cerro Tronador, also in Argentina, and flows south-west through the Andes to unite with the Puelo a few kilometers west of the 72nd meridian.[4] Puelo river's lower course is impeded in such a manner as to form three small lakes, called Superior, Inferior and the Tagua Tagua Lake.[4]