Big Bear Lake or Telluride?

Neither place is for a beach vacation, but Big Bear Lake at least lets you swim. In summer you can wade in at the supervised beach at Meadow Park or off a sandy patch along the rocky shore, though the water stays cool.

Telluride has no swimming in town at all. The nearest swim spot is the reservoir near Ridgway, an hour's drive away, so cooling off there means rafting or paddling instead.

Telluride eats noticeably better. A handful of ambitious kitchens on Colorado Avenue and in Mountain Village cook with elk, trout, Colorado lamb and Western Slope produce, and the wine lists are deeper than you'd expect. The circle of restaurants is small, though, and you'll keep coming back to the same places.

Big Bear Lake is breakfast diners, barbecue, pizza and brewpub pints. That's filling after a day outside, but plain, and many visitors simply cook in their cabins.

Telluride's historic town is worth a look in itself: clapboard houses, false-fronted stores and brick blocks from the mining boom, the museum in the old miners' hospital, and mill ruins on the canyon walls. It fills a pleasant afternoon.

Big Bear Lake has much less to offer. Its Village is modern chalet-style buildings, and the past survives mainly in the gold-rush remains along the dirt road through Holcomb Valley.

Neither town has clubs, but Telluride's evenings have more character. Its Victorian saloons on Colorado Avenue fill with skiers and seasonal workers, and on peak weeks and festival weekends the main street stays lively until late.

In Big Bear Lake, a night out means après-ski, a brewpub or a sports bar, and most people head back to the hot tub early.

Both are true mountain bases, but Telluride's setting is on a grander scale. Peaks over 4,000m, Bridal Veil Falls and trails to high basins start at the end of the main street. The skiing includes steep hike-to terrain, and summer adds a via ferrata, fly fishing and jeep roads over the old passes.

Big Bear Lake has gentler pleasures: a lake for kayaking, sailing and fishing, the Pacific Crest Trail on the north shore, and short hikes like Castle Rock. Its two ski areas are modest but reliable, and bald eagles spend the winter around the lake.

Both towns sit at the end of slow mountain roads, and most visitors stay put. From Big Bear Lake, you can drive to Lake Arrowhead's lakeside village, the Oak Glen orchards or old citrus-era Riverside, with Los Angeles and Palm Springs a long day away.

From Telluride, the outings lead to the Victorian mining towns of Ouray and Silverton over high passes, with the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde just within reach as a stretched-out day trip.

Big Bear Lake is built around families. Snow is the big treat for lowland children, and the alpine zoo, alpine slide, go-karts and pedal boats fill the gaps. Cabins with room to spread out make the logistics easy.

Telluride works for active families who ski or hike. The free gondola and a well-regarded ski school help, but there's little to do indoors on a wet day, and the higher altitude can disrupt young children's sleep at first.

Telluride is far easier once you're there. The historic grid is a quarter of an hour across on foot, and the free gondola and town buses link it with Mountain Village, so many visitors leave the car parked.

Big Bear Lake depends on driving. The Village is walkable and there's a seasonal trolley, but cabins are spread over hilly forest roads. Both towns are hard to reach in winter, with Big Bear's mountain highways prone to weekend jams and Telluride's small airport often affected by weather.

Neither is a place to shop, but Telluride gives you more to browse along Colorado Avenue: art galleries, Western clothing and jewellery, and a couple of good bookshops, all at high prices. Big Bear Lake's Village sticks to fudge, bear souvenirs, antiques and gear rental, so it's an hour's entertainment at most.

Big Bear Lake is far kinder on the wallet, though still not cheap. A shared cabin midweek or in the shoulder seasons is reasonable for a group that cooks, and costs only climb steeply on winter weekends.

Telluride is priced for second-home owners at all times of year. Rooms, lift tickets and meals all sit at the top of the market, and the main saving is to sleep in Ridgway and drive in each day.

Telluride has a real summer calendar. The Bluegrass Festival in Town Park, the film festival and the jazz, blues and chamber music weeks are worth timing a trip around, and the Sheridan Opera House hosts shows year-round.

Big Bear Lake has free lakeside concerts in summer, community theatre and a beer hall with Bavarian bands at Oktoberfest, which makes for pleasant evenings but isn't worth planning around.

Telluride is better for a restorative break. Mountain Village hotels have full spas, and the hot springs pool at Ouray and the springs near Ridgway are an hour away for a soak with mountain views.

At Big Bear Lake, relaxation comes from the cabin: a wood stove, a deck among the pines and a private hot tub. There are no springs, and busy winter weekends break the calm.