Snow interacts with its environment in many ways, is constantly changing with time, and thus has a highly heterogeneous spatial and temporal variability. Therefore, modeling snow variability is difficult, especially when additional components such as vegetation add complexity. To increase our understanding of the spatio-temporal variability of snow and to validate snow models, we need reliable observation data at similar spatial and temporal scales. For these purposes, airborne LiDAR surveys or time series derived from snow sensors on the point scale are commonly used. However, these are limited either to one point in space or in time. We present a new, extensive dataset of snow variability in a sub-alpine forest in the Alptal, Switzerland. The core dataset consists of a dense sensor network, repeated high-resolution LiDAR data acquired using a fixed-wing UAV, and manual snow depth and snow density measurements. Using machine learning algorithms, we determine four distinct spatial clusters of similar snow depth dynamics. These clusters are characterized and further used to derive daily snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE) maps. The results underline the complex relation of topography and canopy cover towards snow accumulation and ablation. The derived products are the first to our knowledge that provide daily, high-resolution snow depth and SWE based almost exclusively on field data. They are therefore ideally suited for the validation of distributed snow models. Our approach can be applied to other project areas and improve our understanding of the spatio-temporal variability of snow in forested environments.