Colorado Springs or Moab?

Neither city is a beach destination. Both are high and inland, so swimming means a pool. What differs is the cold water nearby. Colorado Springs has city lakes and reservoirs, and Moab has Mill Creek's shallow pools, Ken's Lake and sandbars on a fast, silty Colorado River. In both places a rafting trip is a better way onto the water than a swim.

Colorado Springs has more to eat and more places worth eating in. Downtown around Tejon Street, the brick blocks of Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs offer green chile, barbecue, Mexican and Asian kitchens and good local beer, and the Broadmoor's dining rooms provide a formal option.

Moab's Main Street is built for refuelling: big plates of burgers, tacos and pizza, early coffee for hikers and only a few more ambitious dinners. Choice shrinks in winter, there are queues in spring and autumn, and Utah's alcohol rules make a drink with dinner less casual than in Colorado.

Colorado Springs has the clear edge, although its sights are spread out. The Cadet Chapel's aluminium spires, the Olympic and Paralympic Museum, the Southwestern collection at the Fine Arts Center and the Gold Rush story in the old courthouse would fill a day or two.

Moab's town has a morning's worth at most, mainly the small Museum of Moab. Its real history is on the rock: Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont petroglyphs along Potash Road and Kane Creek, plus dinosaur trackways. These are rewarding if you are already out exploring, but they are not a reason to choose Moab for culture.

Neither place is for a big night out, but Colorado Springs at least has a weekend scene. Tejon Street fills with students and young soldiers moving between sports bars, cocktail bars and a few dance spots. Moab has a couple of brewpubs and bars full of tired bikers, there are no clubs, and it is quiet by eleven. The best thing to do after dark in Moab is look at the stars, which are far brighter than they are over a city.

Both are outstanding, but Moab is a step above. Arches, Canyonlands' Island in the Sky and Dead Horse Point are all close to town, and the Colorado River, the La Sal Mountains and some of the best-known mountain-bike routes in the world fit into a single stay.

Colorado Springs has its own landmarks: the 4,300m summit of Pikes Peak, the red fins of Garden of the Gods and the waterfalls of North Cheyenne Cañon, all close to the suburbs. It also has the advantage of mountain trails that stay pleasant in the summer months, when Moab's desert is too hot.

Day trips from Colorado Springs lead to real towns and give you far more variety. Denver's major museums are a little over an hour north, and in about the same time you can reach the head frames and brick streets of Cripple Creek and Victor or the Royal Gorge Bridge. Manitou Springs is right next door, and Boulder is a bit further.

From Moab, most day trips lead into more landscape. The towns nearby, such as Green River, Monticello and Bluff, are small. The best cultural outing is a long drive south to Edge of the Cedars and the stone towers at Hovenweep.

Colorado Springs works better for most families. It has a range of short outings, including the mountainside zoo, cave tours, the cliff dwellings, a small Christmas-themed park and the cog railway. That makes it easier to plan a day around younger children.

Moab can be a great adventure for school-age kids, with rock scrambles, dinosaur tracks, gentle raft floats and Junior Ranger badges. But midday heat, unfenced drops and long drives make it much harder with toddlers.

Plan on a car in both. Colorado Springs is a little easier without one: downtown, Old Colorado City and Manitou are each walkable, a thin bus network exists, and a few summer shuttles serve Manitou's sights. Moab's Main Street and the bike path to Arches are the only easy parts. Everything else means long desert roads or dirt tracks, which are often best in a high-clearance vehicle.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Colorado Springs has more variety. Old Colorado City and Manitou have galleries, Western wear and gem shops, and there are malls and outlets on the edge of town. Moab's Main Street is mostly practical, with bike, climbing and camping gear, plus geodes and fossils and some Navajo jewellery and weavings.

Colorado Springs is the cheaper base. Chain hotels along the interstate are reasonably priced, and Garden of the Gods and most trails are free.

Moab has few rooms and huge demand in spring and autumn, so you pay resort rates for simple motels, and rafting or jeep tours add up quickly. Campers save the most there, thanks to public campgrounds and free dispersed camping, and a winter visit costs much less.

A modest but regular programme runs in Colorado Springs. The Philharmonic plays a season at the Pikes Peak Center, the Fine Arts Center's theatre company stages plays and musicals, and touring bands play outdoors in summer.

Moab has no theatre or concert hall. It does have one memorable event, the Moab Music Festival at the end of summer, when chamber concerts are held in canyon grottoes reached by boat.

Colorado Springs is the better place to unwind. Manitou Springs grew up as a spa town, and you can still drink from its carbonated mineral fountains or soak in outdoor tubs with a mountain view, while the Broadmoor has a full resort spa.

Moab has only a few massage studios for sore legs, and the days start early. Its calm comes from desert evenings and red cliffs at sunset. For real rest, people book a ranch or a cabin out of town.