During the 1990s Telenor, the former national telephone company in Norway, measured a maximal depth of 612 metres while laying a fiber-optic cable along the bottom, meaning that the official depth of 514 is probably underestimated. Its volume is estimated at 12 km³, its area is 50 km² and ranks 19th in area among Norway's lakes. It is located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane and borders on the municipalities of Eid and Hornindal.
The lake is also the site of the Hornindalsvatnet Marathon, held annually in July.