Boulder or Rapid City?

Neither place is anywhere near a coast, but Rapid City has the better swimming. Sheridan Lake, Pactola Reservoir and Sylvan Lake lie in the pine hills within half an hour, with clear water around 20°C to 22°C in high summer.

Boulder makes do with the small sandy swim area at Boulder Reservoir and tubing down Boulder Creek. Both are fun for an afternoon, and neither city is somewhere to plan a swimming vacation around.

Boulder eats better and with more variety. Its kitchens lean towards seasonal, vegetarian-friendly cooking, the Saturday farmers' market by the creek is a weekly event, and the Dushanbe Teahouse is a memorable lunch.

Rapid City's table is steak, bison burgers, chislic and Indian tacos on Lakota fry bread, good after a day in the hills and distinctively regional, but the choice narrows quickly beyond downtown's brewpubs. Craft beer is a shared pleasure, deeper in Boulder.

Neither city is a museum destination, and a day covers the sights in each. Boulder's appeal is architectural: the 1898 Chautauqua cottages under the Flatirons, the sandstone and red-tile campus, and I.M. Pei's laboratory on the mesa.

Rapid City's is historical and quirky: bronze presidents on downtown corners, Badlands fossils at the School of Mines and Lakota history at the Journey Museum. Its weightiest landmarks, Rushmore and Crazy Horse, lie out in the hills.

Boulder gives the livelier evening, with taprooms and cocktail bars around Pearl Street and loud student bars on University Hill during term. Even so, it ends early, and Denver is the place for a real night out.

Rapid City's evenings are a few friendly blocks of brewpubs, sports bars and country-music bars near Main Street Square, mostly quiet by midnight. The exception is the Sturgis rally in early August, when the whole region runs loud and late.

Both are outstanding outdoor bases, and Boulder has the edge because the wilderness starts in town. More than 200km of trails lead straight from Chautauqua into the Flatirons, Eldorado Canyon offers world-class climbing ten minutes away, and Rocky Mountain National Park is about an hour off.

Rapid City's landscape is wider-ranging but needs more driving: granite spires and the Needles Highway, bison herds in Custer State Park, two great cave systems and the Badlands. It is better for wildlife and scenic drives, while Boulder suits people who want to hike, climb or ride from their door.

Rapid City has more famous outings within easy reach. Mount Rushmore is half an hour away, with Crazy Horse, gold-rush Deadwood, the Mammoth Site at Hot Springs and the Minuteman Missile silo filling several more days.

From Boulder, Denver is the one big draw, easily reached by express bus. After that come pleasant smaller places such as Golden, Fort Collins and the old silver towns of Georgetown and Idaho Springs. Both need a car for almost everything else.

Rapid City is the stronger family choice, being built around the children's road trip. The reptile park, a drive-through bear park, concrete dinosaurs, Storybook Island, cave tours and gold panning fill days without effort.

Boulder is safe and pleasant with outdoorsy children, offering the creek path, gentle trails, the reservoir beach and the street performers on Pearl Street, but the zoo, aquarium and big museums are in Denver. Hours in the car are Rapid City's price, and altitude and strong sun are Boulder's.

Boulder is far easier without a car. Its off-street bike paths along the creek, bike share and local buses link downtown, the campus and Chautauqua, and an express bus runs to Denver. A car only becomes necessary for the canyons and national park.

In Rapid City a car is essential from the start, since the buses do not reach Rushmore, the parks or the hill towns. The consolation is that driving is easy and the winding hill roads are part of the experience.

Boulder has more to browse. The brick-paved Pearl Street Mall has independent bookshops, galleries and boutiques, and its climbing, running and cycling shops are unusually good, though luxury is absent.

Rapid City's shopping is about its regional crafts: tri-colour Black Hills gold jewellery, Lakota quillwork, beadwork and star quilts, plus Western boots and hats. Beyond those, it is mostly malls and souvenir stalls.

Rapid City is clearly the cheaper stay. Motels and casual meals are reasonable by American standards and many sights are free, though car hire, fuel and park fees are unavoidable, and rally week in August sends rooms very high.

Boulder is a wealthy town with few hotels and steep restaurant bills, especially in summer and on university weekends. Its trails cost next to nothing, and many visitors save by sleeping in Denver.

Boulder has much more to hear and see. Small rooms book bluegrass, roots and rock most nights, the 1898 Chautauqua Auditorium holds the Colorado Music Festival's summer season, Shakespeare is staged outdoors on campus, and Red Rocks Amphitheatre is under an hour away.

Rapid City has a symphony orchestra, touring shows at the civic centre and summer plays in the pines of Custer State Park. Its most distinctive performance is the large autumn powwow, which Boulder has no equivalent to.

Boulder is the easier place to unwind, because looking after yourself is part of daily life there. A yoga class or a meditation session is never far away, the town has a university founded on Buddhist ideas, and a massage or acupuncture needs no planning. Rapid City has little of this beyond the odd day spa, and visitors find their quiet in a cabin or lodge among the pines.

For bathing, the two are closer. Boulder has only the small spring-fed pool at Eldorado Springs for a summer dip, and you drive about an hour to the cave pools at Idaho Springs. Rapid City's soak is a similar drive south at Hot Springs, where a warm indoor pool has drawn bathers since the 1890s, giving it the historic bathhouse that Boulder lacks.