Lake Jackson is a shallow, prairie lake

Prairie lake

A prairie lake is a somewhat shallow lake that will empty naturally during dry periods allowing a variety of land plants to flourish in the rich nutrients on the lake bottom. The lakes eventually fill up with water returning to their previous state. In northern Florida, a Flatwoods/Prairie Lake is...

 on the north side of Tallahassee

Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...

 in Leon County, Florida

Leon County, Florida

Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...

 with two major depressions or sinkhole

Sinkhole

A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...

s known as Porter Sink and Lime Sink.The lake is located in the Red Hills Region

Red Hills Region

The Red Hills Region is a unique 300,000-acre area of the southeastearn United States overlapping parts of southwestern Georgia and north Florida.-Location:...

, and has fluctuated from periods of being dry to a maximum elevation of 96 feet (29.3 m) above sea level. The lake is approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) long and its area is 16 square kilometres (6.2 sq mi). There is no outflow from streams or runoff.

Interstate 10

Interstate 10

Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...

 runs across the southern tip of the lake, and US 27

U.S. Route 27

U.S. Route 27 is a north–south United States highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 in Fort Wayne, Indiana...

 runs along a causeway on the western side, separating Little Lake Jackson from the main lake.

There are several boat ramps providing access to the lake; on the west side these are at Crowder Drive and Faulk Drive, at a small park on US 27, and on Sunset Drive.