Their dorsal skin is moderately pustulate, or bumpy. Their dorsal color pattern is typically gray or brown with dark blotches and usually no eyestripe. This cryptic coloration makes these treefrogs difficult to spot when sitting on a granitic rock. Most populations blend in with their substrate so there is a large amount of geographic variation. California Treefrogs have white undersides with yellow on the underside of the hind legs.
Males have a dusky throat and a round balloon-like membranous pouch or vocal sac.
Tadpoles have a round body with eyes situated on the top of their head. Their tail has dorsal and ventral fins similar in height. The mouth is square with two denticle rows on the top and three on the bottom. Larger tadpoles are dark brown with speckling. The belly is tan.