Deer Valley or Taos?

Neither place is a beach destination, and both lie hundreds of kilometres from any coast. Deer Valley does have one real option: the sandy state-park shore at Jordanelle Reservoir, a short drive down the hill, where the water is pleasant on hot July and August afternoons.

Taos has nothing comparable. The Rio Grande is for rafting and the mountain lakes stay cold, so warm water there means a hotel pool or a soak in a hot spring.

The two are evenly matched, but the food is very different. Deer Valley and Park City offer polished resort cooking, with steakhouses, sushi and modern American bistros on and around Main Street, plus the famous turkey chili at the base area. It is upscale and international, but none of it is distinctively local.

Taos is the reverse. Its strength is northern New Mexican cooking, with posole, carne adovada and red or green chile served in old family-run places around the plaza, and blue corn and horno bread from the Pueblo. It has more character but less range, and a week covers most of it.

This is where the two differ most. Taos Pueblo alone outweighs everything near Deer Valley: a lived-in adobe village of around a thousand years, still home to a Tiwa-speaking community. Add the buttressed church at Ranchos de Taos and the art-colony houses and museums, and you have two or three unhurried days of real substance.

Deer Valley is a purpose-built resort. Its heritage is Park City's restored silver-mining Main Street, the Park City Museum and the 2002 Olympic ski jumps, which together make a pleasant afternoon and not much more.

Neither is a late-night place, but Deer Valley has more going on, because Park City's Main Street is only a few minutes away. Its saloons, cocktail bars and après-ski spots fill up on ski-season weekends, even if it closes early and Utah's liquor rules still apply.

Evenings in Taos are quieter still: a margarita in an adobe hotel bar, a brewery taproom or a band in a saloon. Most nights there end soon after dinner.

Both are outstanding mountain bases, with Deer Valley slightly ahead for sheer ski terrain. It has its own groomed slopes, the huge Park City Mountain next door, and the powder of Alta and Snowbird about an hour away. In summer, hundreds of kilometres of lift-served biking trails run through the aspens.

Taos is wilder and has more variety. The ski valley is known for steep, demanding runs. Beyond that you have Wheeler Peak at 4,013m, whitewater in the Taos Box, walks along the rim of the Rio Grande gorge and the open sagebrush plateau. Its appeal lies in the landscape and the light as much as in the sport.

Taos has the stronger list of outings. The High Road to Santa Fe passes old Hispanic villages and the sanctuary at Chimayó, and O'Keeffe country at Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch is a fine day out, with Bandelier's cliff dwellings within reach for a long one.

From Deer Valley, the main outing is Salt Lake City, about forty minutes away, for Temple Square and its museums. Midway, the Heber Valley steam railway and Sundance are pleasant enough but modest.

For children, Deer Valley is clearly more practical. The ski schools are excellent, beginners have wide groomed runs to themselves, and you can often ski right to your door. The Olympic park adds tubing, an alpine coaster and ziplines, and Salt Lake City's zoo and museums are close enough for a rainy day.

Taos works for outdoor families who enjoy gentle float trips, riding and gorge walks. Nothing there is made specifically for children, though, and every outing means a long spell in the car.

Deer Valley is much easier without a car. Free buses link the base areas with Main Street and Park City Mountain, plenty of lodging is right on the slopes, and Salt Lake City airport is only about forty minutes away by shuttle.

In Taos you need a car from the moment you arrive. Most visitors drive up from Albuquerque, about two and a half hours away. The plaza area is walkable, but the Pueblo, the gorge, the ski valley and every village are spread across a wide valley.

Taos is the better place for shopping, as long as you want art and craft. Its galleries line the lanes off the plaza, and local specialities include turquoise and silver jewellery, micaceous pottery, Rio Grande weaving and carved santos, some of which you can buy straight from the makers at the Pueblo.

Park City's Main Street is more about ski gear, western boots and upmarket boutiques, with an outlet centre at Kimball Junction. For anything broader, people head to Salt Lake City.

The difference in cost is stark. Deer Valley is among the most expensive places in the world to ski, with luxury lodging, top-tier lift access and resort prices on every meal. Staying in the Heber Valley and driving in is the usual way to save.

Taos costs what an ordinary mountain town costs. You can find simple motels and fairly priced diners alongside the pricier historic inns. A hire car adds to the bill, but the overall trip is still far cheaper, especially in spring and late autumn.

Neither is a place to plan a trip around performances, but what each offers is different. Deer Valley's highlight is the Utah Symphony's summer festival at the Snow Park amphitheatre, with picnics on the grass. The restored 1920s Egyptian Theatre on Main Street adds plays and small concerts all year.

In Taos, the most memorable events are the traditional dances at Taos Pueblo on feast days such as San Gerónimo. Visitors may watch them under strict rules and with quiet respect. A summer chamber music festival covers the classical side.

Taos is slightly better for unwinding, thanks to its natural springs. Ojo Caliente's mineral pools are fed by several different waters and sit outdoors under the cliffs, and there are primitive hot springs beside the Rio Grande that you reach on foot. The valley's yoga studios and retreat centres, together with the silence of the plateau, add to the calm.

Deer Valley offers comfort of a more polished kind: slopeside hotel spas, massages after a day's skiing and hot tubs on snowy terraces. The Homestead Crater in Midway is its one unusual natural soak.