Its range extends from the Columbia River southwards through the Cascade Mountains, along the Oregon coast to the northern tip of California in Del Norte County.

[2] The clouded salamander feeds on small invertebrates, mainly woodlice, ants and beetles, but also include flies, termites, mites, centipedes, millipedes, spiders and pseudoscorpions.

[3] Breeding takes place in June and July with females laying clutches of nine to seventeen eggs, usually in chambers hollowed out in rotting logs.

This salamander's favored microhabitat of tree stumps and coarse woody decaying debris are being replaced by changes in forestry practices.

However, plans to conserve the spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) and the marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) may help to reduce the decline in numbers of clouded salamanders.