The Alpine grizzled skipper is found at high altitudes in Europe. It is known from the Pyrenees, where it is rare, the Alps, the Carpathians, southwest Bosnia, southwest Bulgaria (Pirin mountains are the southernmost limit of the range), southwest Serbia, northwest North Macedonia, Lapland and the border between Norway and Sweden. In the Swiss Alps its height range is and in the Pyrenees . In the Alps and Pyrenees, its natural habitat is above the tree line in damp, grassy places, often near streams or in bogs. In its Scandinavian range it occurs in areas with dwarf scrubby vegetation and on steep slopes and in rocky areas.