Denver or Jackson Hole?

Neither place is anywhere near the sea, and neither is worth choosing for swimming. Denver's options are the sandy reservoir beaches at Cherry Creek and Chatfield on the edge of the city, plus hotel and public pools.

Jackson Hole has slightly more to offer. In late summer String Lake, shallow with a sandy bottom, warms enough for a real swim with the Tetons above it, and a cold dip after a hike is part of a midsummer visit. For the rest of the year the lakes and the Snake River are too cold for swimming.

Denver has more range. There are taprooms in the RiNo warehouses, green chile on everything, Vietnamese and Mexican cooking along Federal Boulevard, and chef-run places in Highland and LoHi, so you can eat well and cheaply without planning ahead.

Jackson has a few more serious dining rooms than you would expect in a town its size, serving elk, bison, trout and plenty of huckleberries, along with good wine lists and saloon burgers. Beyond that the choice is narrow, there is almost no street food and very little is cheap. After a week you will have eaten your way round it.

Denver has enough to fill two or three days. The Civic Center museums include the Denver Art Museum, with its Native American collection, and the Clyfford Still Museum. Add the gold-domed Capitol, Victorian Capitol Hill and the brick warehouses of LoDo around Union Station.

In Jackson the main sights are the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the antler arches on the square, and the barns of Mormon Row and the log chapel inside the park. Seeing them with the Tetons behind is memorable, but it takes a single afternoon.

Neither is a clubbing destination, but Denver gives you far more choice of evening. You can go from game-night crowds in LoDo to cocktail bars in RiNo and late dive bars on East Colfax, and the bars stay open until 2am.

Jackson's classic night out is the saloon with saddle bar stools and a country dance floor, plus loud après-ski at Teton Village in winter. The town is quiet well before midnight, and in spring and autumn the bars can be nearly empty.

Both places are about the mountains, but in Jackson Hole they are right on top of you. The Tetons rise straight from the valley floor, Cascade Canyon and Jenny Lake are minutes from town, and Yellowstone is reachable for the day. You will see moose, bison, eagles and wintering elk without trying. The skiing at Teton Village is steeper and much closer than Denver's.

Denver's version is good but less immediate. Red Rocks and the Golden foothills are half an hour away, the 4,000m peaks and Rocky Mountain National Park take longer, and the ski resorts mean two hours on a busy I-70. In return you get bike trails through the city and dry, sunny weather to come back to.

From Denver you can visit different towns, not just different views. Boulder under the Flatirons, the old brick centre of Golden, the Victorian mining streets of Georgetown with their narrow-gauge railway, and Manitou Springs to the south each make a distinct day, though almost all need a car.

Excursions from Jackson Hole go into the landscape. Victor and Driggs over Teton Pass and the ranch towns to the south make pleasant drives rather than destinations, and the old lodges at Old Faithful are part of a Yellowstone trip rather than a separate outing.

Both work well for families, in different ways. Denver has the usual city attractions: the zoo and the Museum of Nature & Science with its dinosaurs in City Park, and the children's museum, aquarium and amusement park by the South Platte, which also cover a rainy day.

Jackson has none of that, but children remember moose seen from the car, Junior Ranger badges, a sleigh ride through the elk herd, the rodeo and the staged shootout on the square. It suits outdoor families who don't mind long drives into the parks.

Both have a walkable centre and need a car for everything else, but Denver gives you more options without one. The train runs from the airport to Union Station, there is light rail to the suburbs, and a free shuttle runs along the 16th Street Mall.

Jackson's few blocks around the Town Square are easy on foot, and a bus runs to Teton Village. There is no public transport into Grand Teton or Yellowstone, though, so without a car you depend on tours. Winter roads also need care.

Shopping in Denver is spread across several districts. Cherry Creek pairs a large upscale mall with blocks of boutiques and galleries, and South Broadway is the place for vintage clothes and records. The big flagship stores are good for outdoor gear and Western wear.

In Jackson, shopping means a few boardwalk blocks around the Town Square. They are strong on Western and wildlife art galleries, handmade cowboy hats, turquoise and high-end ski gear. It suits one considered purchase, but beyond that the range quickly gives way to T-shirts and souvenirs.

Denver is not cheap, but its costs are those of a normal American city, and you can cut them with taquerias, breweries and lodgings along the light rail.

Jackson Hole is one of the most expensive places to stay in the country. Rooms in summer and ski season are scarce and costly, and every meal, lift ticket and rafting trip is charged at resort prices. Staying over the pass in Idaho, or coming in the quiet months, helps.

Denver has the bigger arts scene. Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a concert setting people travel for, the Denver Center fills several blocks with theatre, Broadway tours, symphony, opera and ballet, and Five Points keeps its jazz tradition going in small rooms.

Jackson's highlight is the Grand Teton Music Festival, a summer of classical concerts by orchestral players in a timber hall at Teton Village, along with chuckwagon shows and country bands. For the rest of the year there is little going on.

Neither place has a bathing tradition, and both rely on hot springs and hotel spas, but the springs are closer in Jackson Hole. One pool sits in a forested canyon reached by dog sled in winter, another is on the banks of the Snake, and the quiet evenings suit a soak after a day outdoors.

In Denver the city itself offers day spas and yoga, and the historic pools and steam caves of Idaho Springs are under an hour away. You do get more sunshine and green parks to relax in between trips.