Big Bear Lake or Park City?

Neither town is a beach destination, but Big Bear Lake has the water right on its doorstep. In high summer you can swim in its cool water, which is lifeguarded only at the small Meadow Park swim beach. The rest of the shore is mostly granite and rock, with a few sandy patches.

Park City has no lake in town. For a summer swim you drive down to the sandy areas at Jordanelle Reservoir, and the season there is short. Most visitors only get wet in a hotel pool or hot tub.

Park City eats noticeably better. Wealthy ski crowds support a row of polished restaurants on historic Main Street and at the resort bases, serving elk, bison and trout, and après-ski on the slopeside decks is part of the day. Salt Lake City is close if you want more choice.

Big Bear's food is simple fuel: diner breakfasts, burgers, pizza, barbecue and a brewpub pint, mostly in the Village. Many visitors cook in their cabins, which suits the place better than eating out.

Big Bear's history comes down to a small museum on the gold rush of the 1860s and a dirt-road drive past the mining remains and old cabins of Holcomb Valley. The Discovery Center covers the forest and its wildlife. The chalet-style Village is mostly modern, so there is little to look at in town.

Park City shows its past more openly. Restored wooden storefronts from its silver-mining days line Main Street, old headframes and tramway towers stand on the slopes, and the Park City Museum in the old city hall still has jail cells in its basement. Add the museums at the 2002 Olympic Park and you have a good afternoon, but not much more.

At Big Bear, a night out means a little après-ski in the pubs near the slopes, a brewpub or a sports bar. There are no clubs, and most evenings end in the cabin hot tub.

Park City has a short but real night out on Main Street. Its saloons and cocktail bars, a few with DJs or bands, fill up and can get rowdy on ski-season weekends. Even there, things wind down well before the small hours, and outside winter the town goes to bed early.

Big Bear's two ski areas are modest and rely on snowmaking, so its real strength is the lake ringed by pine and oak, busy in summer with kayaks, sailing boats and fishing. The Pacific Crest Trail runs along the north side, the San Gorgonio Wilderness is close by, and bald eagles winter around the water.

Park City works on a much larger scale. Park City Mountain is among North America's largest ski areas, Utah's dry powder falls all winter, and four more resorts lie over the ridge. In summer, singletrack leaves straight from town and there is fly fishing on the Provo and Weber rivers.

Park City has the easier outings. Salt Lake City, with Temple Square and the State Capitol, is about 40 minutes away. The Heber Valley steam railway, the Swiss-style chalets of Midway and the old railroad street in Ogden add a few more good days out.

From Big Bear, every trip starts with winding mountain roads. Lake Arrowhead takes about an hour, while Oak Glen's orchards and the Mission Inn in Riverside take longer. Los Angeles and Palm Springs make for a long day.

Park City is the easier family base. Its ski schools are well run, the free buses spare you loading car seats, and the Olympic Park has an alpine coaster, ziplines and freestyle skiers landing in a splash pool. Winter costs add up quickly, though.

Big Bear draws families too, mainly with snow play and sledding for children from the warm lowlands. Unlike Park City, it has its own small zoo of rescued bears and bobcats. Roomy cabins and pedal boats on the lake make the days gentle.

In Park City you can leave the car behind. Free buses link Old Town, both ski bases and Kimball Junction, Main Street is walkable if steep, and the airport is about 40 minutes away by shuttle.

At Big Bear the car is essential. You drive up steep highways that may need snow chains, and the cabins are scattered on hilly forest roads. Only the Village and the trolley route to the slopes work on foot.

Park City has the better browsing. Main Street has art galleries, cowboy-boot and Western-wear shops, jewellers and upscale ski fashion, and there is an outlet centre at Kimball Junction. Big Bear's Village has fudge shops, bear-themed souvenirs, a few antique shops and gear rentals, enough for an hour and little more.

Big Bear is the cheaper of the two, as long as you avoid winter weekends and school vacations. A group or family sharing a cabin midweek and cooking for itself can keep costs reasonable, and hiking and sledding cost little.

Park City is expensive almost throughout ski season. Lodging, lift passes and ski school are at the top of the North American market, and the festive weeks cost even more. Summer brings prices down, and some visitors stay in Salt Lake City or the Heber Valley to save money.

Park City has a small but real stage scene. The 1920s Egyptian Theatre has plays, comedy and cabaret all year, and in summer the Utah Symphony plays outdoors at Deer Valley. Big Bear has a community arts centre, free summer concerts by the lake and the Bavarian bands of its autumn Oktoberfest.

Park City offers more ways to unwind. The big lodges at Deer Valley and the Canyons base have large spas built around sore ski legs. In Midway, the Homestead Crater lets you swim in spring water at about 35°C inside a limestone dome.

Big Bear has no springs and no destination spa. Here relaxing means the private hot tub and wood stove in your cabin and a quiet midweek deck among the pines.