Seasonal snow melting hydrological process in cold and arid regions is highly sensitive to climate and environmental changes. It is of great significance to study the key factors affecting seasonal snow accumulation and snow melting process and to adjust and control them adaptively for maintaining water security and sustainable utilization of water resources in the basin under changing environment. The physical characteristics of seasonal snow layers under different shelter conditions (under canopy and open land) in the Urumqi River Basin experimental area on the northern slope of Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang from December 2017 to March 2018, were observed and tested. The physical characteristics and differences of snow layers during snow accumulation and melting periods were analyzed respectively. The results showed that during snow accumulation and melting period, the average depth of snow under canopy was less than that of open land, and the proportion of deep frost layer and coarse snow layers were larger than that of the other layers in stratified snow. During snow accumulation period, the liquid water content of snow cover in open land layer changed in a single peak pattern, and the liquid water content of snow cover under canopy layer increased uniformly from top to bottom. The liquid water content of snow layers changed in a single peak pattern with the vertical profile of snow depth in different shelter conditions in snowmelt period, and the peak value concentrated in fine snow layer. The variation characteristics of vertical profile of stratified snow density during snow accumulation and melting period were basically the same, showing a single peak pattern.