Big Sky or South Lake Tahoe?

Big Sky has nothing you could call a beach. The Gallatin River is too fast and cold for swimming, so summer bathing means a hotel pool or a quick paddle in a pond.

South Lake Tahoe has proper sand on the edge of town: Pope, Baldwin and Kiva beaches under the pines, Zephyr Cove across the state line, and the boulder coves of Sand Harbor further round the shore. At about 1,900m the clear water is cold, so swimming is for July and August, and for the rest of the year the shore is for walking.

Neither place is somewhere to travel for food, and both serve resort cooking at resort prices. Big Sky leans towards mountain fare such as bison, elk, trout and big pre-ski breakfasts, with a few ambitious lodge kitchens. Some places close between seasons, and Bozeman is an hour away when you want more variety.

South Lake Tahoe's range comes from the casinos and the highway: steakhouses, buffets, late diners, taquerias and brewpubs. You can eat late on the Nevada side, but busy weekends bring queues, and many visitors end up cooking in their cabins.

There is little to see indoors at either. In Big Sky the only real heritage is the pair of log cabins at the Crail Ranch homestead in Meadow Village.

South Lake Tahoe has a bit more history to explore. The early 20th-century estates of the Tallac Historic Site stand among the pines by the shore, Vikingsholm sits at the head of Emerald Bay, and a small museum covers the Washoe people and the logging era. It is still a morning's interest rather than a reason to come.

Big Sky's evenings revolve around après-ski on the decks of Mountain Village, a few taverns in Town Center and old saloons with pool tables down the canyon. There are no clubs, and most people head to bed early. In spring and autumn the resort is almost silent after dark.

South Lake Tahoe is also quiet on the California side, but a short walk into Nevada brings you to the casino towers at Stateline. Their bars, lounges and gaming floors stay open all night, with a club or two filling up on peak weekends. You still won't find a bar district, and for a bigger night out people drive to Reno.

Both are first-rate mountain bases, and the difference is in the setting. Big Sky is wilder and more about the high mountain itself: the steep terrain of Lone Peak, the Spanish Peaks and Lee Metcalf Wilderness, fly fishing and rafting on the Gallatin, and Yellowstone's wildlife an hour south.

South Lake Tahoe is built around water. The deep blue lake, Emerald Bay and the many lakes in the granite basins of the Desolation Wilderness shape every outing, from kayaking on calm mornings to the Tahoe Rim Trail. For skiing you have Heavenly from town, with Kirkwood and Sierra-at-Tahoe within an hour.

Big Sky's day trips are mostly into the landscape. For a town, Bozeman is an hour away and has the dinosaur fossils of the Museum of the Rockies. Montana's preserved gold-rush towns, Virginia City and Nevada City, are about two hours out.

South Lake Tahoe has more variety within easier reach. Nevada's own Virginia City is about an hour away, with Carson City and Genoa on the way. Down Highway 50 are Coloma, where gold was found, and the Amador wine country, and Reno and Sacramento's old town are also within reach. Big Sky has no wine region at all.

Both are good for outdoor families, and neither has much for a wet or snowbound day. Big Sky's summer base area becomes an adventure park with zip lines and ropes courses, and horse riding and spotting bison in Yellowstone go down well with children. The altitude of Mountain Village can tire small children at first.

South Lake Tahoe's advantage is shallow, sandy lake beaches and easy walks such as Taylor Creek, plus sledding hills in winter. On the downside, the casino strip is no place for children to linger.

You need a car in both, for different reasons. Big Sky stretches along about 15km of road between three villages, linked by a free bus. Ski-in lodgings make winter days simple, but Yellowstone and Bozeman's airport mean driving, often on an icy canyon road.

South Lake Tahoe has a walkable core at Stateline and shuttles to the ski areas, but its problem is congestion. Weekend traffic crawls on Highway 50 and round Emerald Bay, and winter storms bring chain controls on the passes.

Shopping in both is mostly for gear. Big Sky adds a few Western-style boutiques and galleries of wildlife art, and Bozeman is the place for anything more.

South Lake Tahoe has rental stores, a cluster of souvenir shops around the gondola base and galleries of lake photography, but no shopping street worth an afternoon.

Big Sky is among the most expensive places to stay in the American West. Lodging, lift passes, guided fishing and meals all cost a great deal. Summer helps a little, and staying in Bozeman saves money but adds an hour's drive each way.

South Lake Tahoe is pricey at peak times too, but much easier to bring down. Nevada casino hotels discount heavily midweek and in spring and autumn, cabins with kitchens cut food costs, and the beaches and trails are free.

Big Sky's offer is small and seasonal: touring musicians, chamber music and theatre at the Meadow Village arts centre in winter, and free lawn concerts and a short classical festival in summer. Out of season there is almost nothing.

South Lake Tahoe has more going on through the year, because the casino showrooms and arena bring rock and country acts and comedians in every season. In summer you can also see Shakespeare on the beach at Sand Harbor and concerts at the Tallac estates, though there is no classical season.

Both are about equal, with hotel spas and hot tubs for tired legs after the slopes. Big Sky's draw is stillness, with slow days and dark, starry nights, but natural hot springs are an hour away towards Bozeman.

From South Lake Tahoe a soak is much easier. Grover Hot Springs is about 45 minutes south, and the Carson Valley springs near Genoa are half an hour over the pass.