Estes Park or Moab?

Neither town is anywhere near the sea, and neither has a beach worth planning around. In Estes Park the water is snowmelt: Lake Estes and the alpine lakes are for paddling, fishing and walks along the shore, and swimming means the indoor aquatic centre.

Moab's desert heat makes a dip more tempting. Locals use the shallow pools of Mill Creek, Ken's Lake and the sandbars of the Colorado, but the river is fast and silty and needs care.

Both towns serve hearty food to hungry hikers, and neither is a reason to travel. Estes Park leans towards mountain fare: elk and bison, big diner breakfasts, a distillery and the old taffy and fudge shops on Elkhorn Avenue.

Moab adds tacos and a few dinner places with Southwestern touches, but Utah's alcohol rules make a drink with dinner more formal. Estes Park's kitchens cut back outside summer, while Moab's quiet months are in winter and its queues come in spring and autumn.

Neither town is a culture destination, and the interest lies in different kinds of history. Estes Park's is about mountain tourism and settlement: the Stanley Hotel, famous for inspiring The Shining, plus a homesteading museum and the MacGregor Ranch beneath Lumpy Ridge.

Moab's most memorable heritage is much older and out in the open: Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont rock art along Potash Road and Kane Creek, and dinosaur trackways nearby. Its small museum fills a morning at most.

Nights are short in both towns, with no clubs and early bedtimes before dawn starts. Estes Park has brewery taprooms and saloon-style bars on Elkhorn Avenue that wind down around ten. On a busy weekend in Moab, a brewpub full of bikers and rafters may stay lively a little later, and its very dark desert sky makes stargazing the real evening activity.

Both are among the great outdoor bases in the American West, but the landscapes could hardly be more different. Estes Park is alpine: Rocky Mountain National Park climbs from meadows and ponderosa forest to tundra and the granite of Longs Peak, and Trail Ridge Road crosses the high country. Wildlife is the daily draw, with elk, bighorn sheep, moose and the autumn rut.

Moab is red-rock desert, with the arches and fins of Arches National Park and the canyon views from Island in the Sky and Dead Horse Point. It is a place for doing more than looking: slickrock biking, rafting on the Colorado, canyoneering and jeep tracks.

Estes Park has much better day trips because real towns lie within an hour or so down the canyons. Boulder has Pearl Street and the Flatirons, Fort Collins has its Old Town and breweries, and Denver offers big museums. In summer, Grand Lake is a scenic drive over Trail Ridge Road.

From Moab, the outings are mostly more landscape. Bluff and the Ancestral Puebloan sites at Edge of the Cedars and Hovenweep are rewarding, but they mean long drives, and Grand Junction takes most of two hours.

Estes Park is the easier family base. Elk grazing in town, short flat walks around the lakes, mini golf, go-karts, stables and the Prospect Mountain tramway keep children of all ages busy, though the altitude needs a day to adjust to.

Moab can thrill school-age children who love scrambling over rocks, floating calm stretches of the Colorado or finding dinosaur tracks. Midday summer heat, long unfenced drops and constant driving make it much harder with toddlers.

Both have walkable centres, but Estes Park is easier beyond them. In the warmer months, free shuttles link town and lodgings with the Bear Lake corridor, which saves the struggle for parking at the trailheads. Denver is about an hour and a half away by road.

In Moab, a car is essential. There is no useful public transport, the parks are spread along long desert roads, and many trailheads are down dirt tracks where a high-clearance vehicle helps. The only alternatives are a paved bike path to Arches or a seat with an outfitter.

Neither town has fashion or department stores, but Estes Park offers a little more browsing. Elkhorn Avenue has western wear, wildlife galleries and taffy makers, and Boulder and Denver are close for anything more serious. Moab's Main Street is more practical, with bike and climbing shops for repairs, plus rock shops with geodes and fossils and some Navajo weavings and jewellery.

Both towns cost about the same, and both charge resort rates for fairly simple rooms in high season. That season is summer and early autumn in Estes Park, and spring and autumn in Moab. Winter is much cheaper in both. Estes Park's cabins with kitchens help families keep costs down. Moab's cheap public campgrounds and free dispersed camping are a real saving, but rafting, jeep and canyoneering trips quickly add up.

Live performance is thin in both towns and tied to one season. Estes Park has free summer concerts by the river, evenings at the Stanley and the Scottish-Irish Highland Festival in September. Moab has a single standout event: its long-established chamber music festival at the end of summer, with some concerts held in canyon grottoes reached by boat.

Estes Park is the more restful of the two. Neither has hot springs or a bathing culture, but a riverside cabin, cool air and elk at dusk make for real calm, especially in winter and spring.

Moab's days are built around effort and heat, and its few spas mostly treat sore legs after a day on the bike. Its stillness comes at sunset on the red cliffs, and those who want proper rest head up to the La Sal Mountains.