He led 18 gardener's tours and traveled the globe, often accompanied by his wife, including Australia and Europe. He raised four children: Ann, Leon Jr., Mary, and Erva. He had twelve grandchildren: James, Thomas, Jill, Marc, Steve, Michael, James Jr., Jeff, Michael, Andre', Karsten, and Jeremy.
By the time Snyder stepped down as the head of the horticulture department in 1970 (to devote himself full-time to the arboretum) it had doubled in faculty. Snyder wrote a weekly column for the Minneapolis Star Tribune beginning in 1966. As well once a month he appeared on the Boone & Erickson Show on WCCO (AM) to answer garden-related questions.