The broad, flat-bottomed valley stretching east from Longyearbyen is the easiest accessible wilderness in Svalbard. In winter it is the main corridor for snowmobile safaris heading toward the Russian settlement of Barentsburg. In summer, hikers and birdwatchers walk the valley floor past old mining infrastructure, river terraces, and Arctic tundra.
Reindeer are commonly seen grazing in Adventdalen — Svalbard reindeer are a distinct subspecies, stockier and shorter-legged than their mainland relatives. Arctic foxes, ptarmigan, and in summer the cliff-nesting birds of the surrounding slopes are also regular encounters. The valley's geology is dramatic: the layered sedimentary rock faces rise steeply on both sides, exposing the same coal seams that drove the human settlement of Svalbard.