This species is almost exclusively associated with running water (Lind 2005). It inhabits partially shaded, rocky streams at low to moderate elevations, in areas of chaparral, open woodland, and forest (Nussbaum et al. 1983, Hayes and Jennings 1988). Individuals seek cover at the bottom of pools when startled. Its breeding and non-breeding habitats are the following, in order of decreasing preference: (1) partially shaded, small perennial streams, 30–1,000 m asl, with at least some cobble-sized rocks, riffle areas and a stream depth rarely greater than 1 m; (2) intermittent, small, partly shaded, rocky streams displaying seasonal riffle habitat; (3) large (consistently greater than 1 m in stream depth), partly shaded, perennial streams with rocky or bedrock habitat; and (4) open perennial streams with little or no rocky habitat. Breeding takes place in pools of streams, and eggs are usually attached to gravel or rocks at the edge of pools or streams (Nussbaum et al. 1983). In northern California, eggs were found attached to cobbles and boulders at lower than ambient flow velocities, near confluences of tributary drainages in wide, shallow reaches, and most breeding sites were used repeatedly (Kupferberg 1996). In many systems individuals exhibit somewhat migratory breeding movements, with adults primarily inhabiting the smaller tributaries of large rivers and moving to the main river to breed and deposit eggs. The larvae then develop in the river until metamorphosis (B. Halstead pers. comm. April 2021). The generation length for this species is estimated to be approximately three years, and this is the global average generation length used for small to medium sized anurans.

This species is particularly sensitive to changes in hydrology. While individuals are capable of moving long distances (~1 km a day), these changes to the hydrology of a system have been shown to notably decrease population connectivity. In many regulated rivers within the Sierra Nevada, Rana boyii subpopulations were found to be restricted to small, unregulated tributaries that flowed into the regulated main stream (Peek et al. 2018, Peek et al. 2021). Peek et al. (2021) demonstrated that in such rivers with altered flow regimes, subpopulations showed patterns of greater population isolation and reduced heterozygosity compared to those in unregulated locations. Thus, despite this species' ability to move long distances between habitats, it is largely unable to maintain population connectivity in rivers with altered flow regimes. This is an important consideration for the conservation of this species.

This species is known from the Pacific drainages from the upper reaches of the Willamette River system in Oregon (west of the Cascades crest), south to the upper San Gabriel River in Los Angeles County, California, including the coastal ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills, in the USA. There was a disjunct population at La Grulla Meadow, Sierra San Pedro Martir, Baja California, Mexico; however, this subpopulation is now thought to be Extinct (C. Grünwald pers. comm. October 2019). This species has disappeared from 51 per cent of its historical localities in the Sierra Nevada, placing the species near extirpation over the southern half of its Sierran range (Lind 2005, Hayes et al. 2016). This species occurs at elevations ranging from sea level up to 2,040 m asl.

Conservation Actions In-Place
Some subpopulations of this species occur in national forests in California and Oregon, but this does not necessarily provide adequate protection. It also occurs in a few national, regional and state parks, and on properties owned by The Nature Conservancy. In Mexico, this species is protected by Mexican law under the "Special Protection" category (Pr), however it is now thought to be extinct in the region. It historically occurred in the San Pedro Martir National Park, which is a relatively well-preserved area. In the USA, this species is listed as as a California Species of Special Concern (Thomson et al. 2016), is under consideration for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act (USFWS 2015), and has been designated for listing under the California Endangered Species Act (McCartney-Melstad et al. 2018, California Fish and Game Commission 2020). Under the California Endangered Species Act, the Southwest/South Coast clade, West/Central Coast clade, and East/Southern Sierra clade are all listed as Endangered, while the Northeast/Northern Sierra clade and Feather River clade are both listed as Threatened (California Fish and Game Commission 2020). 

Conservation Needed
Targeted conservation efforts including habitat enhancement and restoration, flow management, and head-starting of early life stages, may be needed for the continued persistence of this species (Rose et al. 2021). Measures are also needed to control the introduction and impact of invasive species throughout its range. It has been suggested that genetic clades should be used as management units, rather than only watershed boundaries as has been previously suggested. Following this approach, the near-extinct subpopulation from southwestern California should be identified as a critical conservation target for recovery, as this subpopulation is particularly diverged from the other clades and exhibits the lowest genetic diversity (McCartney-Melstad et al. 2018).

Research Needed
More information is needed on this species' distribution, population status, ecology, and threats. Genetic data have revealed substantial genetic variability across this species' geographic range, prompting a need for further taxonomic research to determine if this form is a complex of more than one species (Hayes et al. 2016).