The Northwestern Yunnan Plateau is located on the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, which is an area sensitive to climate change. In this area, forests have remained undisturbed due to their remote location, and many tree species have grown to their upper distributional limits. Accordingly, it is an ideal location for dendroclimatological study. Although some dendrochronological research has been carried out on the Northwestern Yunnan Plateau, few studies have been conducted on Yulong snow Mountain, which is a typical snow mountain and supports growth of the main tree species in the area. In order to detect the response of tree growth to climate change on the Northwestern Yunnan Plateau, we used the tree-ring width index of three major conifers, Abies georgei, Picea likiangensis, and Larix potaninii Batal var. macrocarpa Law, at their upper distributional limits on Yulong Snow Mountain. Specifically, we focused on the characteristics of residual chronologies and the relationships between radial growth and climatic factors (temperature and precipitation). We aimed to identify the main climatic factors limiting tree growth in the area and detect differences in growth responses to climate among the studied species. The following results were obtained (1) Temperature and precipitation were the main factors affecting tree growth at the upper distributional limits on Yulong snow Mountain, but the effects varied according to tree species. (2) The radial growth of L. potaninii Batal var. macrocarpa Law was mainly limited by temperature and precipitation during the early growing season (May-June) of the current year, and was positively and negatively correlated with temperature and precipitation in May and June, respectively. (3) Precipitation during the early growing season of the current year was the main factor limiting the radial growth of A. georgei, with a significantly negative correlation between the residual chronology and May-June precipitation, whereas higher temperature during the growing season (July-August) of the current year positively affected its growth. (4) The radial growth of P. likiangensis was mainly limited by climatic factors before the start of the growing season, showing a significantly negative correlation between growth and mean temperature of the previous December and current May, and a significantly positive correlation between growth and precipitation during the current January. Our research represents a reference tree-ring study of the Northwestern Yunnan Plateau, and can provide a scientific basis for climate reconstruction in the area.