Lawton, Oklahoma, southeast of the lake and the fourth largest city in the state, is the nearest major population center.

Smaller communities of Cache, Medicine Park and Meers lie north of the lake.

Created in 1940 by the construction of the concrete Jed Johnson Dam across Blue Beaver Creek in Comanche County, Oklahoma, Lake Jed Johnson has a surface area of 57.5 acres (233,000 m2).

[3] The surrounding area is home to deer, elk, Longhorn cattle and bison, and there are many opportunities for boating, fishing, hunting, and hiking throughout the refuge.

It is a former fire watch station that was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1941, before the U.S. formally entered World War II.