Administratively it lies in the Northeast Greenland National Park zone.

It was named after Adolf Hoel (1863–1933), Norwegian geologist and chairman of the Arctic Trading Co.[2] The Adolf Hoel Glacier originates in the eastern side of the Greenland ice sheet around the area of Hobb Land, with J. L. Mowinckel Land to the south and Arnold Escher Land to the north.

Then it flows along the northern edge of Andrée Land in a roughly WNW/ESE direction until its terminus in the Nunatak Glacier to the east.

[3] The Eyvind Fjeld Glacier flows to the north and the Wilkins Nunataks rise to the NW.

The Jakob Kjøde Bjerg, a large 1,850 m (6,070 ft) high nunatak, rises off the northeastern side of the glacier, beyond which flows the Waltershausen Glacier.