Habitats include sagebrush and other types of shrublands (e.g., manzanita and Ceanothus brushland), also pinyon-juniper woodland and open pine and Douglas fir forests; occupied areas have with open ground and some low bushes (Degenhardt et al. 1996, Hammerson 1999, Stebbins 2003). This is a ground dweller that regularly perches on rocks, logs, or snags; it uses rodent burrows, shrubs, logs, etc., for cover.

This lizard ranges from Washington, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota south to marginal north and central Sierra San Pedro Martir in Baja California, Mexico, northern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico, and eastward into western Nebraska (Stebbins 2003). Elevational range extends from around 150 to about -3,200 m (500 to about 10,500 feet) (Stebbins 2003). The disjunct populations in southern California and the Sierra San Pedro Martir in Baja California were treated as a distinct species by Grismer (2002).

This species occurs in many national parks and monuments. Other than further taxonomic research, no direct conservation measures are needed for this species as a whole