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The Little Juniata River, sometimes called the "Little J," is a river in central Pennsylvania. It is a 35-mile (56km) tributary of the Juniata River in the watershed of the Susquehanna River and is formed at Altoona by the confluence of several short streams. It flows northeast in the valley between the Allegheny Ridge to the west and Brush Mountain to the east.
At Tyrone, the river turns abruptly southeast, passing through a gap on the north side of the Brush Mountain ridge. Approximately 6 miles (10km) northwest of Huntingdon, it receives the Frankstown Branch Juniata River. The river flows southeast past Huntingdon and joins the Raystown Branch Juniata River 3 miles (5km) southeast of Huntingdon to form the Juniata.
In Colonial America, the river provided the farthest canoe-navigable headstream along the Alleghenies of the Juniata River, allowing a portage over the ridge through the Kittanning Gap. In the 1830s, its valley was used as part of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal, which connected to the Allegheny Portage Railroad at Hollidaysburg, along a tributary of the Little Juniata southeast of Altoona.
It is a good spot for fly fishing; trout inhabit its waters. Former President Jimmy Carter is said to enjoy fishing at Spruce Creek on the river's lower half.
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