Abby Hornacek hosts "PARK'D with Abby Hornacek", "American Arenas" and "Ride to Work" on FOX Nation.
The travel enthusiast is a long-time lover of national parks and exploring the outdoors. Hornacek, the daughter of former NBA player Jeff Hornacek, grew up traveling all over.
Currently at home in Arizona, Abby spoke with TravelPulse recently to share her knowledge on national parks, how COVID-19 has impacted her travels and more. Viewers can catch both of Abby's shows on the Fox Nation streaming service.
TravelPulse (TP): You're currently in the third season for PARK'D. What's something most travelers may not know about the show, but should?
Abby Hornacek (AH): I think what's different about our show is we really delve deep into these parks. And something that I love about it is that we explore the history, so we can go deep into how it became a national park; what conservation efforts are there; etc. We also do three activities at each location, so I get to experience things there and kind of show what each of these parks offers while also showing off their beauty.
TP: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the show and your travels?
AH: Unfortunately, because we haven't been able to travel, we haven't been able to go to any new places. For season three we released Grand Teton National Park and Death Valley National Park, which were two parks we had gone to before all of this hit. And then we have a special edition show-which is potentially something that we are exploring for moving forward. [For the special edition show] we kind of gave a look into the places that we've been already and then where we plan to go as well.
Moving forward, we're probably going to explore Arizona a lot and hopefully get as much content as we can, but unfortunately, it is limited. In that special edition show, I talked about how this is impacting us with COVID-19. So that's something people can check out in Season 3 as well.
TP: What's your favorite national park that you've visited thus far?
AH: Oh, that is so hard. I love Zion National Park and Yellowstone. And I think on this new season with Grand Teton and Death Valley-those are two of my favorite episodes. The Grand Teton was our first winter episode, and it was negative 13 degrees. It was a little rough, but it was beautiful and sunny with a gorgeous view. I think Zion is one of my favorites just because it is one of the most versatile parks. I love rocks, and it's just the sheer versatility of the sandstone cliffs; getting to learn about the geology behind how these cliffs came to be; and how the river and its tributaries carved out these canyons.
TP: Do you think there's a best time of year to visit the national parks?
AH: I think it depends on which National Park you want to go to. If you go in the summer, you can experience the lakes in Grand Teton and then head over to Yellowstone and see Old Faithful. I would say for the majority of the parks-if you want to do a lot of hiking-I would go more in the spring and summertime before it gets too hot. But if you like snowshoeing or skiing, then Yosemite is a great one to do in the winter. Same with Yellowstone and Grand Teton-there are a lot of winter activities, so it's really just what you're looking to do. You can go to the Grand Canyon in the summer and then [go back in the] winter and get a completely different experience.
TP: Which parks do you think are ideal for adventure travelers? And which parks would you say are better for family travel?
AH: I think all of them are really great for family travel just because they are so expansive. There are a lot of things you can do with the family, including camping. If you're a true adventurer, you'll really want to go out to the Grand Canyon for some great climbing. Joshua Tree is also a good choice if you're really into rock climbing. It depends on the type of activities you want to do though-Joshua Tree is also great for families because its camping is great and it's a mild temperature.
TP: You also host "American Arenas" on FOX Nation-can you talk about that show and some of the more unique sporting venues around the country?
AH: On "American Arenas" we go to a lot of unique and historical places that host sporting events. It's interesting because I grew up going to games at Wrigley Field. We, unfortunately, haven't gone over this field yet on the show just because of the timing. But just knowing some of the histories behind some of these places like Wrigley-where they have the original organ, and they still play it-is amazing. I've never really been into NASCAR, but we went to Talladega-which any sports fan has heard of, whether you're into NASCAR or not-and just learning about the history, how it came to be, and the fact that it is the longest oval track is just really interesting.
TP: So here at TravelPulse, our core audience is travel agents and advisors-I'm curious, what's your experience with travel agents? Have you used one before? What's your overall view on agents and advisors and their role in the travel industry today?
AH: I think they're really essential-they're really great for people to maximize their reach. I've been really lucky because my mom is really great at planning things. But if you're going on a vacation, then it's important to maximize your time off while traveling somewhere-you want to make sure that you're getting the most out of your trip. And I think travel agents are great for that.
TP: When not traveling for work, what is Abby Hornacek's favorite way to travel?
AH: It's funny because I love national parks. I have since I was young, and I'm such a nature person. I also love to travel with my family. So, if I was going on vacation, it would have to be a family vacation to a national park. It's nice to travel back to the national parks outside of work because when we film in these places, we pop in and pop out-we do it all in two days, and it's so rushed. We're not able to get the full experience necessarily. So outside of work, I like to go back to these places-maybe go to Joshua tree in camp or go back to Zion and climb or do something like that. But my favorite type of traveling is with my family, going somewhere I can be adventurous and get out in nature.
TP: Why should travelers consider national parks more once travel restrictions and stay at home orders are lifted?
AH: I think we have so many places in the United States that are absolutely breathtaking and great for vacations. I think a lot of times-just from personal experience-people want to do these extravagant vacations and go abroad. I think this can be very valuable, and everyone at some point their lives should go abroad. But our country is so gorgeous. It's like we're 50 small little countries essentially because every state is so different. And something that the national parks offer is a look into all of these different places.
At Acadia, during the fall, you can go look at the trees changing and just truly appreciate nature. Or you can go to Hot Springs National Park, which is the only national park that has a brewery. They're just so many things that our country has to offer. And by going to our national parks you're not only getting a great experience, but you're helping the environment by entering these parks and donating and bringing more awareness to them.
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