ROAM’s Best Nature Photos of 2020

Stephanie Frias shares the wonder of a secret Andean forest and more Earth-ly scenes from family journeys around the world.

By Liliia DeCos

The entrants to ROAM’s 2020 Best Family Travel Photo Contest surprised us by showcasing so many different natural environments! Boy, did our followers visit some amazing locations: jungles, deserts, mountains, lakes, beaches. You families really left no stone unturned 😉

Best Nature Shot

We are happy to introduce you to the winner of our Nature category, Stephanie Frias of  familytravelnomads who captured “Cotopaxi Forest Magic” in a eucalyptus forest in Ecuador.

Recalls Stephanie: “We found this magical place along an old farm road, behind some abandoned railroad tracks, about a ten-minute walk from our camping spot below the magnificent Cotopaxi volcano in the Ecuadoran Andes not too far from Quito. We came around the corner and were literally awed into silence over the beauty, serenity, and scent of the forest.

“It only took a moment for our kids to run off without hesitation to perch on this living bench. It’s proof that you simply can’t pose a photo like this, it’s the kind of magic that only happens in unplanned, unexpected places. Every time they see this photo – the kids ask when we’re going back!”

Stephanie and her family spent the past two years criss-crossing the South American continent and wrote about many of their experiences on ROAM. Click here to see a few of her travel tales.

Nature Honorable Mentions

The judges selected four additional Nature shots for recognition.

Catching Waves by htolewis

Everyone loved Nell Lewis’ touching photo of her husband and daughter walking into the sunset on the Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Little Ears at Lake Louise by nienkelaan

Nienke Laan caught this shot of her daughter in Canada’s Banff National Park.  This Dutch family has seen the world with their two little daughters and loved Lake Louise.  “This fairylike lake was the crown jewel of our Canadian trip!”

Into the Blue by live.love.backpack

Darlynne of @live.love.backpack got this shot from inside Europe’s largest glacier – the Vatnajökull  ice cave in Iceland. “The cave was high up on the glacier so we had to wear crampons and carry an ice axe to get there. Then we had to get down on our hands and knees and crawl into the cave.”

June in the Rockies by theallensvstheworld

You might recognize this adventurous Atlanta family from their winning 2019 photos for ROAM, including their Spring contest winner from Paris.  Says mom Amy Allen, “This picture was taken in late June in Colorado. We couldn’t believe there was still snow on the ground. Only my daughter and I managed to navigate the snow-covered trails (with me in sandals) to this beautiful reflective lake.  It’s definitely one of my favorite memories of the year.”

Check out all of 2020’s prize-winning Nature shots in the gallery below (turn mobile devices to “landscape” to view complete photos and caption)  and click here to see the winning photos from 2019.