Estes Park or Phoenix?

Neither city is anywhere near a coast, so a beach vacation is out in both. What differs is the water. In Estes Park the lakes are fed by snowmelt and too cold to swim in, so people paddle and fish on Lake Estes and swim in the indoor aquatic centre or a hotel pool.

Phoenix's water is warm but mostly man-made. The Salt River reservoirs, such as Saguaro Lake, have small beaches below desert cliffs, and tubing down the lower Salt is a summer tradition. Resort pools with slides and lazy rivers are where much of a hot-season stay is spent.

Estes Park eats like the mountain gateway town it is: elk and bison burgers, barbecue, big breakfasts before the trail, a few breweries, and the taffy and fudge shops of Elkhorn Avenue. It is satisfying after a hike, but the choice is narrow and many kitchens close early.

Phoenix has far more worth seeking out. Its own cooking comes from the Sonoran borderlands: carne asada, paper-thin flour tortillas and bacon-wrapped hot dogs from evening carts. It also has a strong name for wood-fired pizza, independent places around Roosevelt Row and polished resort dining in Scottsdale. The catch is distance, since eating well usually means a drive.

Culture in Estes Park comes down to the Stanley Hotel, the white Georgian Revival building that inspired The Shining. Add a small local museum and the historic MacGregor Ranch, and you have enough for a rainy afternoon.

Phoenix has much more to see, though in museums rather than old streets. The Heard Museum's collection of Native American art is among the best anywhere, the Musical Instrument Museum is absorbing, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West is the architectural highlight. Neither city has a historic centre to wander, and in Phoenix each sight is a separate drive.

An evening in Estes Park means a brewery taproom or a saloon-style bar on Elkhorn Avenue, then bed. Most visitors are up before dawn to see wildlife, and the town is quiet by ten.

Phoenix has real nights out, spread across separate districts: clubs and rooftop bars in Old Town Scottsdale, student bars on Tempe's Mill Avenue, and craft beer bars and cocktail lounges downtown and on Roosevelt Row. In summer the drinking moves to patios with misters and resort pool parties. You pick one district for the night and take a ride-hail home.

Both are outdoor destinations, but Estes Park is the finer one. Rocky Mountain National Park begins minutes from town and climbs from meadows and ponderosa forest to alpine tundra and Longs Peak at 4,346m. There are lakes such as Bear and Emerald, moose and bighorn sheep, and elk bugling in the meadows during the autumn rut. Every season has its draw, from summer wildflowers and golden aspens to winter snowshoeing.

Phoenix's desert mountains are impressive too, with Camelback Mountain, South Mountain and the saguaro forests of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve rising straight out of the suburbs. The difference is the season: they are superb from October to April but dangerous after mid-morning in summer.

Day trips from Estes Park go down the canyons to the plains: Boulder with Pearl Street and the Flatirons, the Old Town and breweries of Fort Collins, Denver's museums, or Grand Lake over Trail Ridge Road in summer. They are pleasant towns, but few are memorable.

Phoenix has the richer list, mainly thanks to what lies to the north: the red rock country around Sedona, the Montezuma Castle cliff dwelling, the hillside mining town of Jerome and Prescott's old saloon street. To the south are Tucson's adobe barrios and the Mission San Xavier del Bac. The drives are longer, and from either city you need a car.

Both work well for families, in very different ways. Estes Park is small, safe and outdoorsy, with elk in town, junior ranger activities in the park, easy lakeside walks, mini golf and the tramway up Prospect Mountain. The drawbacks are the altitude and the lack of museums for a rainy day.

Phoenix has the zoo, an aquarium, the Arizona Science Center, a children's museum and water parks, plus spring training baseball in March. Its drawbacks are the long drives across the metro area and summer heat that keeps young children indoors after early morning.

Estes Park is the easier of the two to get around. The downtown along Elkhorn Avenue and the Riverwalk is compact and walkable, and free summer shuttles run to the Bear Lake corridor, though you still need a car to get there and to reach most trailheads.

Phoenix is built for driving. It is a flat grid of wide roads stretching for dozens of kilometres, with Scottsdale, Tempe and the hiking areas far apart. The light rail between the airport, downtown and Tempe is useful along that line, but most visitors rent a car, and in summer even short walks are hard work.

Shopping in Estes Park is an hour's browse along Elkhorn Avenue: souvenirs, taffy, western wear, outdoor gear and a few wildlife galleries. Phoenix has the malls and department stores of a big city, centred on Scottsdale and the Biltmore district, plus galleries and boutiques in Old Town Scottsdale.

Both sell Native American-style jewellery, but Phoenix is where to buy the real thing: Navajo and Zuni silver and turquoise, Hopi katsina carvings, pottery and rugs, from museum shops and reputable galleries.

Neither city is cheap, but Phoenix gives you more ways to save. Estes Park is expensive in its best season, summer and early autumn, when lodging near the national park fills up. Winter and spring rooms are much cheaper, and cabins with kitchens help families.

Phoenix runs the other way: resorts are expensive from January to April and much cheaper in summer, while chain hotels along the freeways are good value all year. Sonoran Mexican food is a cheap way to eat well. In both places the hiking is largely free and a rental car is the extra cost to plan for.

Estes Park has little on outside summer. In summer there are free concerts at the riverside performance park and evenings at the Stanley Hotel, and in September the Scottish-Irish Highland Festival brings pipe bands and Celtic music.

Phoenix has the full calendar of a big city: the Phoenix Symphony at Symphony Hall, Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona, touring Broadway shows at ASU Gammage, Frank Lloyd Wright's round auditorium in Tempe, and concerts in the Musical Instrument Museum's hall. Its season runs from autumn to spring, the opposite of Estes Park's.

Estes Park offers quiet rather than treatments: a cabin by a river, mountain air, elk at dusk and a few lodge spas. It is most restful in winter and spring.

Phoenix and Scottsdale are a classic American resort retreat. Large desert resorts below Camelback Mountain have full spas, several pools, golf courses and treatments using sage, clay and agave. Neither city has hot springs or public baths, and Phoenix's resorts are at their best from autumn to spring.