Big Sky or Boulder?

Neither place has anything like a beach, and the difference is only in what kind of water there is. At Big Sky the Gallatin is cold and fast even in midsummer, so swimming mostly means a hotel pool or a quick paddle in a pond. Boulder's reservoir has a small sandy swim area, and floating Boulder Creek on an inner tube makes a hot afternoon a little more of an event.

Big Sky cooks for hungry skiers: bison, elk, Montana beef, trout and large breakfasts, served in Mountain Village, Meadow Village and the roadhouses of the canyon. A few lodge kitchens aim higher, but the range is narrow and some places cut back between seasons.

Boulder eats noticeably better. You get seasonal Front Range produce, real choice for vegetarians, good bakeries and coffee roasters, and a farmers' market by the creek that is a social occasion in itself. Add deep craft-beer roots and lunch in the hand-carved Dushanbe Teahouse. It still lacks range, but you will not tire of it in a week the way you might in Big Sky.

Big Sky was built for skiing from the 1970s, and its one piece of heritage is the pair of log cabins at Crail Ranch in Meadow Village. Everything else is timber lodges and condos.

Boulder is no museum town either, but it has more to look at. There is the 1898 Chautauqua colony with its wooden cottages below the Flatirons, the sandstone and red-tile university campus, and I.M. Pei's laboratory for atmospheric research on the mesa. A curious visitor can fill a pleasant day there, which Big Sky cannot offer.

In Big Sky the evening peaks in late afternoon, when skiers in their boots fill the decks at the base of the lifts. A couple of taverns in Town Center and some old canyon saloons with pool tables carry on a little later. Out of season the resort goes quiet after dark.

Boulder has more going on all year. Taprooms and cocktail bars cluster around Pearl Street, and University Hill gets loud during term. It also ends early, since half the town is up for a dawn hike, but Denver is close enough for a proper night out.

Both are first-rate outdoor bases, but the landscapes are different. Big Sky is big-mountain country: Lone Peak at 3,403m, a huge ski area, wilderness trails into the Spanish Peaks, fly fishing and rafting on the Gallatin, and Yellowstone's geysers and wolves about an hour south.

Boulder puts the outdoors at the end of the street. The Flatirons rise behind town, with well over 200km of open-space trails, Eldorado Canyon's climbing ten minutes away and canyon roads that draw cyclists from abroad. Rocky Mountain National Park is an hour off. Choose Big Sky for remoteness and snow, and Boulder for daily hikes, climbs and rides from your door.

Most days out from Big Sky head further into the landscape. The towns within reach are Bozeman, with its Western main street and the dinosaur fossils of the Museum of the Rockies, and, about two hours away, the gold-rush boardwalks of Virginia City and Nevada City.

Boulder has more variety on its doorstep. Denver, an easy bus ride away, adds a major art museum, the state capitol and the restored Union Station. With a car you can reach Golden's western main street, the brewing town of Fort Collins and the Victorian silver-mining streets of Georgetown and Idaho Springs.

Both suit active families equally well, but in different ways. Big Sky is the bigger adventure: ski school on gentle slopes, then summer zip lines, ropes courses, horse riding and bison in Yellowstone. The thin air at about 2,300m and the long drives take some getting used to.

Boulder is gentler and easier to manage. Days fill with the creek path, tubing, the reservoir beach and the Chautauqua meadow, and the street performers on Pearl Street fill the evenings. The planetarium and natural history museum help on a wet afternoon, which Big Sky has no answer to.

Big Sky stretches along about 15km of road, from the canyon up to Mountain Village. A free bus links the villages, and you can ski straight from slopeside lodgings, but anything further afield, Yellowstone included, needs a car and careful winter driving.

Boulder is much easier on foot or by bike. The centre, campus and Chautauqua are close together, joined by creekside bike paths and bike share, and an express bus runs to Denver. You only need a car for trailheads and parks outside the city.

In Big Sky, shopping is a practical errand: ski and fly-fishing gear, a few Western-style boutiques and galleries of wildlife art. Boulder's Pearl Street Mall is a pleasant browse, with independent bookshops, toy shops and boutiques along brick-paved blocks. Its climbing, running and cycling shops are some of the best outdoor gear stores you will find in a town this size.

Neither is cheap, but Big Sky asks for the bigger budget. Slopeside lodging, lift passes, ski school and guided fishing all add up, and staying down the canyon or in Bozeman saves money only at the cost of driving.

Boulder's rooms and restaurant meals are costly too, but its main attraction, the trails and open space, is close to free and the buses are reasonably priced. Staying in Denver and coming in for the day brings it down further.

Big Sky's stage life comes in seasons. A small arts centre in Meadow Village hosts touring musicians and theatre in winter, and summer brings free lawn concerts in Town Center and a short classical festival.

Boulder hears live music most nights, mostly touring rock, bluegrass and roots acts in small downtown rooms and on the Hill. In summer the Colorado Music Festival fills the wooden 1898 Chautauqua Auditorium and Shakespeare is played outdoors on campus. Red Rocks Amphitheatre is under an hour away, which gives Boulder a clear lead.

Relaxing in Big Sky means a hot tub on the deck, a lodge spa massage for sore ski legs and a quiet, starry night. Boulder makes a whole way of life of it, with yoga and meditation studios everywhere, contemplative roots through its Buddhist-inspired university and easy access to massage and acupuncture. Neither has serious soaking close by, but Boulder's spring-fed pool at Eldorado Springs is a small summer bonus.