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The Juniata River () is an approximately longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map , accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania. The river is considered scenic along much of its route, having a broad and shallow course passing through several mountain ridges and steeply lined . It formed an early 18th-century frontier region in Pennsylvania and was the site of French-allied Native American attacks against English colonial settlements during the French and Indian War.
The watershed of the river encompasses an area of approximately , approximately one-eighth of the drainage area of the Susquehanna. Approximately two-thirds of the watershed is . It is the second largest tributary of the Susquehanna after the West Branch Susquehanna.
Along the river's banks there are many access areas maintained by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, as well as informal access areas and campground river access. The Juniata River is a popular spot for swimming, fishing, and boating. It even used to be the host of the Juniata River Sojourn, which was held annually from 2001 (when the river was named Pennsylvania River of the Year) through 2015.
During the 19th century, the river was paralleled by the Juniata Division Canal, part of the canal system of Pennsylvania and a rival to the Erie Canal. The state sold the canal to the Pennsylvania Railroad, which abandoned the canal in 1889 after severe . Parts of the original locks from the canal, as well as remnants of a dam approximately 1 mile (2 km) south of Millerstown, are still visible today.
The river is a popular destination for recreational and fly fishing, in particular for smallmouth bass and channel catfish suited to the river's gentle course. The muskellunge was introduced as predatory sport fish and is now a prized catch. Attempts are underway by the state to reintroduce the once-prevalent American shad, which went into decline largely because of dams on the river. Walleye is another game fish prevalent in the Juniata River.
The National Book Award and Pulitzer prize-winning poet Galway Kinnell wrote of the river in a section of The Book of Nightmares (1971), entitled "Dear Stranger, Extant in Memory by the Blue Juniata" ("The Blue Juniata" was a well-known 19th-century parlor song).
The river cuts through several southwest-to-northeast ridges, largely of sandstone between limestone valley floors. Several of the river's tributaries, including Kishacoquillas Creek, are degraded by pollution, but the main stem of the river is considered fairly clean by regional standards. The only city in the watershed with ten thousand or more residents is Altoona. Steep slopes along much of the river's course have largely discouraged widespread development.
File:Juniata River by Lewistown.jpg|The Juniata River by Lewistown, Pennsylvania
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