Figure 1. Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park.
Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park is situated at the relatively low elevation. It is warmer and less snowy and thus the park headquarter is located here. In my experience, it usually can reach around 30F in winter.
On New Year Day of 2016, I experienced my coldest temperature here. Actually it was cold everywhere on that day. I remembered the meter in my car showed -26F when I was in Lamar Valley in the morning. When I was back to Mammoth Hot Springs after the noon, it was relatively warm, but only at single digit.
On the other side, cold temperature strengthens steam from the hot springs. The colder it is the strong the steam is. It may not be good if it's too steamy as it blocks the view. Because there was breeze, it helped and I stayed there hoping for interesting shots. It was so dynamic and I stayed there for more than one hour.
I like the amount of steam in this shot. It gives steamy feelings and hints the blue sky. The snowy ground, dead trees, and the rock formation called Devils Thumb (right hand side) makes it a surreal.
