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Slope and aspect are major sources of topographic heterogeneity in mountain watersheds because they influence the amount and timing of incoming solar radiation. These differences affect snow accumulation, snow disappearance, and the thermal conditions of soils. This study examines snow-insulation and disappearance timing at 19 north- and south-facing monitoring sites near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in the East River watershed, Colorado. Near-surface ground-temperature measurements collected at 30-minute intervals during Water Years 2024–2026 were used to classify days as deep snow, shallow or patchy snow, or snow-free. Site characteristics derived from spatial datasets included elevation, slope, aspect, diurnal anisotropic heating index, topographic position, canopy cover, and modeled terrain shading. During Water Year 2026, the median snow-insulation end date was April 6 at south-facing sites and May 7 at north-facing sites, indicating that insulating snow conditions ended approximately one month earlier on south-facing slopes. However, the median shallow or patchy snow period was 28.5 days longer at south-facing sites than at north-facing sites. Snow-insulation end dates also showed greater variability during Water Year 2026 than during the two preceding water years. These results demonstrate that slope and aspect influence both the timing of snow-insulation loss and the duration of transitional snow conditions, while local elevation, vegetation, and terrain shading contribute additional variability among sites.
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