Leptasterias hexactis occurs in the intertidal zone of the north east Pacific Ocean with a range extending from the San Juan Islands in Washington to the Channel Islands of California.
Predators on gooseneck barnacles include the glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens), the black oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani), the ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus) and the six-rayed star, Leptasterias hexactis.