The web-toed salamanders (Hydromantes) have long been of interest to biogeographers due to their enigmatic distribution—southern Europe and California. In recent years, populations of Hydromantes have been discovered in increasingly unexpected settings, causing us to question our concept of what constitutes suitable habitat. Among these are populations of the Mt. Lyell Salamander (H. platycephalus) living in xeric desert-edge canyons on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. In 2018, Bingham et al. partitioned the Shasta Salamander (H. shastae) into 3 species based on mitochondrial DNA, allozyme loci, and modest morphological differences. Those authors acknowledged that the ranges of these northern species were not fully understood, and it was clear that large areas of the Klamath Mountains and other Northern California ranges had not been adequately explored for populations of Hydromantes. In 2022 we began using a combination of satellite imagery and field knowledge to identify several areas that warranted surveys based on geology, elevation, and slope exposure. Over the past several years we have focused survey efforts on increasingly rugged and remote areas in the Shasta-Klamath region. Though surveys are ongoing, preliminary results from our work will be shared along with directions for future research.