Estes Park or Scottsdale?

Neither place is anywhere near the sea, so the difference lies in what you can do around water. In Estes Park, Lake Estes and the park's alpine lakes are fed by snowmelt and far too cold to swim in. People walk, fish and paddle there, and actual swimming means an indoor pool.

Scottsdale makes rather more of its water. Resort pools are central to a stay, Saguaro and Canyon Lakes have small sandy coves and boat hire, and in summer people float down the Salt River on inner tubes.

Scottsdale gives you noticeably more choice at the table. Its steakhouses, sushi bars, brunches and Sonoran-style Mexican cooking cover far more ground than Estes Park's burgers, bison and taffy, and Phoenix's restaurants are close by when you want something with more character.

Estes Park eats like a trailhead town: big breakfasts, barbecue, a few breweries, and kitchens that close early outside summer. It is fine after a hike, but anyone who cares about dining will be happier in Scottsdale.

Scottsdale has more to see. Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's desert studio, is a heritage site of real note, and the Museum of the West, the contemporary art museum, the Heard Museum and the Musical Instrument Museum can fill several days.

Estes Park has essentially one sight, the Stanley Hotel and its link to The Shining, plus a small local museum and the MacGregor Ranch. They're worth a rainy afternoon, but no more.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. Scottsdale's Old Town packs patio bars, rooftop lounges and dance clubs into a few blocks that are loud and dressed-up until 2am on weekends, with quieter cocktail and wine bars around the edges.

Estes Park has a handful of taprooms and saloon-style bars on Elkhorn Avenue that fill briefly after the trails empty. The town is asleep long before Scottsdale's bars get going.

Estes Park is one of the great mountain gateways. Rocky Mountain National Park rises from meadows to tundra above 3,700m on Trail Ridge Road, with Bear, Dream and Emerald Lakes, Longs Peak, and elk bugling in the autumn meadows. Climbing at Lumpy Ridge and winter snowshoeing extend the season.

Scottsdale's desert is a genuine asset: saguaro trails in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, steep scrambles up Camelback and Pinnacle Peak, and the Superstition Mountains further out. It can't match the scale or wildlife of the Rockies, though, and in summer the heat confines it to dawn.

Scottsdale has the better range of outings. Sedona's red rocks, the cliff dwelling at Montezuma Castle, the old mining town of Jerome and Tucson's San Xavier mission each make a full and varied day.

From Estes Park, the drives run down the canyons to Boulder, Fort Collins's Old Town and Denver's museums, or over Trail Ridge Road to Grand Lake in summer. They are pleasant towns rather than standout sights, and you need a car for all of them.

Both work well for families, in very different ways. Estes Park is an outdoor playground: elk in town, junior ranger programmes, easy walks around Sprague Lake and the tramway up Prospect Mountain. The catches are the altitude and having almost nothing to do indoors on a wet day.

Scottsdale's appeal is resort pools with lazy rivers and slides, plus the OdySea Aquarium, Butterfly Wonderland, the railroad park and the Phoenix Zoo. That gives plenty of indoor fallbacks, though summer heat drives everyone inside by midday.

Estes Park is somewhat easier without a car. Its centre along Elkhorn Avenue and the Riverwalk is small enough to walk, and in the warmer months free shuttles run to lodgings and the Bear Lake trailheads. You still need wheels for the rest of the park and the plains, and summer weekends bring traffic.

Scottsdale is built entirely around driving. It is long and spread out, the light rail doesn't reach it, and only Old Town and its trolley route work on foot. The upside is wide roads, plenty of parking and easy driving.

Scottsdale is a real shopping destination. A large luxury mall holds the major fashion houses, and the galleries on Main Street and Marshall Way sell high-quality southwestern art, Navajo and Hopi silver and Pueblo pottery.

Estes Park offers an hour's browse along Elkhorn Avenue: souvenirs, fudge, outdoor gear and some wildlife photography. Anything more serious means driving down to Boulder or Denver.

Both are expensive in their high season and much cheaper out of it, but the cheap months fall at opposite ends of the year. Estes Park is costliest in summer and early autumn, and rates fall in winter and spring. Scottsdale peaks in winter and spring, and its resorts cut prices sharply in the hot summer.

Each has a free core: the trails of the national park in one and the desert preserve in the other. Both usually need a rental car.

Scottsdale gives you far more to do in the evening. Its Old Town arts centre stages jazz, dance and chamber music, the Musical Instrument Museum's theatre hosts world-music concerts, and Phoenix's symphony, opera and ballet are about half an hour away.

Estes Park has free summer concerts by the river, the odd evening at the Stanley Hotel and the Scottish-Irish Highland Festival in September. Outside those, the stages are mostly dark.

Scottsdale is built for pampering. Large resort spas with desert-inspired treatments, steam rooms and outdoor pools are a main reason people visit, backed by yoga retreats and an unhurried rhythm of golf and long lunches.

Estes Park's restfulness comes from its setting rather than its facilities: a riverside cabin, cool air, elk at dusk and quiet evenings, best outside the summer crowds. Its few lodge spas are modest by comparison.