The 18-square-kilometre (6.9 sq mi) lake is located along the border of the municipalities Tynset and Alvdal.

The lake sits about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west of the village of Tynset and about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of the village of Alvdal.

[1] The river Sivilla, which connects the lake Savalen and the large river Glomma, is regulated and exploited by the 62-megawatt (83,000 hp) Savalen hydropower station.

[1] A tourist resort is located at the northern end of the lake, with facilities for winter sports.

[citation needed] Arne Garborg's Kolbotn is located at the southern end of the lake.