Located northwest and north of Elko, Nevada, it runs generally north-south for about 80 miles (130 km), and has an area of about 314 square miles (813 km2).

The vegetation of the range is primarily sagebrush steppe.

Various intermittent creeks feed the Humboldt River, which borders the range to the south and east.

Several coal mines are to be found in the northern part of the range.

The Adobe Range is a newly developed climbing area, with routes on conglomerate rock ranging from YDS 5.6 to 5.10.