It primarily inhabits the threatened sandhill communities, flatwoods, and scrub in the Atlantic coastal plain,[3] where it is usually found near ponds.

[5] Gopher frogs occur along the Atlantic seaboard of the United States from southern North Carolina to peninsular Florida.

[1] Today, gopher frogs' distribution is patchy, owing greatly to loss of longleaf pine forest communities.

[6] Migration out of the breeding habitats typically occurs at night when it is raining,[1] and frogs have been recorded moving up to 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) into their summer refugia.

[7] These pools in pine flatwoods are being lost to development, and to fire suppression, which allows forests to invade the natural savanna habitat.