The community is in an arid, sparsely populated part of the state, along Oregon Route 140, about 30 miles (48 km) east of Lakeview.

Frequented by Native Americans for many thousands of years, the valley became a region of sheep grazing and cattle ranching by the late 19th century.

Adel's infrastructure includes a combined store/restaurant/bar, a post office (serving Zip Code 97620), an elementary school, and a church.

Hot springs and related geological features have made one of the nearby ranches a potential site for a geothermal power station.

Evidence of Native American occupation includes petroglyphs, hunting blinds, flakes from obsidian tools, and other material artifacts.

By historic times, the Kidütökadö band of Northern Paiute frequented the valley and the uplands of Hart Mountain, the fault block ridge to the east.

[3] A stagecoach line connected early Adel to Fort Bidwell in northern California and offered transportation three times a week.

[8] In 1959, two days after the Nevada Thermal Power Company drilled a well on the Crump family property, a continuous geyser of steam and hot water began shooting 150 feet (46 m) into the air.