It is endemic to Mexico and known from the Sierra Madre Occidental between the eastern Sonora and western Chihuahua in the north and Jalisco in the south.

[3] The type locality is Mojárachic, in the Tarahumara Mountains, Chihuahua.

[2][3] Craugastor tarahumaraensis was described based on a single female, the holotype, measuring 43 mm (1.7 in) in snout–vent length.

[2] The species inhabits pine-oak and pine forests at elevations around 2,400 m (7,900 ft) above sea level.

[1] The main threat for Craugastor tarahumaraensis is habitat loss and disturbance caused by logging and agriculture.