Fort Collins or Jackson Hole?

Neither city is a swimming destination, and in both the lakes are only warm enough in July and August. Fort Collins has the easier version: Horsetooth Reservoir, just west of town, has a designated swim beach and coves full of paddleboards. Jackson Hole's snowmelt lakes mostly stay bracing, and shallow, sandy String Lake is the one that warms enough for a proper swim after a hike in the park.

The two are close, but they suit different appetites. Fort Collins is a beer town first, with long-established brewery tours on the north side of Old Town and taprooms all over the city. Its food is mostly gastropubs, tacos and a few farm-to-table kitchens.

Jackson eats more ambitiously for its size. Chef-driven dining rooms around the Town Square serve elk, bison, trout and huckleberries, and a few have serious wine lists. The catch is that almost nothing there is cheap, while casual eating in Fort Collins stays reasonable.

Neither will fill more than a day with sights. Fort Collins offers a townscape, with its red-brick Old Town and nearby Victorian and Craftsman streets, plus a hands-on history and science museum and the university galleries. Jackson's strengths are art and scenery: the National Museum of Wildlife Art above the elk refuge, and the barns of Mormon Row and the log chapel framing the Tetons inside the park.

Fort Collins has the livelier evenings, thanks to its large university. Pubs, rooftop patios, cocktail bars and taprooms sit within a few blocks of the square, and weekends run on in a casual, student-heavy way.

Jackson's nights are shorter and follow the seasons. Après-ski at Teton Village gets loud as the lifts close, and the saloon with saddles for bar stools and a country dance floor is the classic night out. Still, the town goes quiet before midnight, and in spring and autumn the bars can be nearly empty.

Fort Collins is a fine outdoor base. Horsetooth Mountain and Lory State Park start a short drive west, the Poudre Canyon has rafting and fly fishing, and Rocky Mountain National Park is about an hour and a half away.

Jackson Hole is in another league. The Tetons rise straight from the valley floor and Grand Teton National Park begins minutes from town, with Yellowstone within a day's reach. Moose, bison, elk and bears are part of an ordinary drive. In winter it has some of the steepest lift-served terrain in North America, while Fort Collins is several hours from the big ski resorts.

Fort Collins has real places to go. Boulder sits beneath the Flatirons, Denver has big museums, mining-era Golden lies at the foot of the mountains, and Cheyenne's capitol and frontier museum are just across the Wyoming line. All of them are an easy drive.

From Jackson, nearly every outing goes into the landscape. The farm towns of Victor and Driggs over Teton Pass and the ranch towns to the south make pleasant drives, but none is worth a day for its own sake, and the region's proper Western towns are far away.

Jackson Hole is the stronger choice for families who like being outside. Children can spot wildlife from the car, earn Junior Ranger badges, ride a sleigh through the elk herd in winter and watch the summer rodeo, and the ski resort has a good ski school. The downsides are long drives, the altitude and little to do on a rainy day.

Fort Collins is gentler and more everyday. It has playgrounds in every neighbourhood, flat river paths for small cyclists, the Museum of Discovery's dome theatre and the city farm at Lee Martinez Park. Neither city has a zoo or theme park, but from Fort Collins the ones in Denver are an easy drive.

Both centres are compact and walkable, and both cities need a car for the landscape, but Fort Collins does far more without one. It has a rapid-bus line, a bike-share scheme and protected lanes, and cycling between breweries, campus and parks comes naturally.

In Jackson, the bus to Teton Village is useful mainly in ski season, and no public transport runs into Grand Teton or Yellowstone. Without a car you depend on tours and shuttles, and winter roads call for care.

Neither is a shopping destination, so the difference is one of character. Fort Collins has independent boutiques, bookshops, vintage clothing and cycling shops in Old Town, with malls and chain stores along the highways. Jackson's covered boardwalks lean towards galleries of Western and wildlife art, handmade cowboy hats and boots, turquoise jewellery and high-end ski gear, alongside plenty of souvenirs.

Fort Collins is mid-priced for the United States. It has chain hotels along the highways and reasonably priced taprooms and casual meals, though graduation and football weekends push room rates up.

Jackson Hole is among the most expensive places to stay in the country. Rooms, meals, lift tickets and guided trips all cost resort prices in both summer and ski season. The free trails and roadside wildlife soften this, and staying over the pass in Idaho or visiting in late spring or autumn helps.

Fort Collins has the steadier programme. The Lincoln Center brings touring Broadway shows, dance and the local symphony, and the university arts centre puts on opera, concerts and theatre through the academic year. Old Town's small stages book indie, bluegrass and rock bands.

Jackson's highlight is seasonal. The Grand Teton Music Festival brings players from leading orchestras to a timber hall in Teton Village for several weeks each summer, alongside chuckwagon shows and country bands. Outside summer, little remains beyond community theatre.

Jackson Hole has the edge thanks to its natural hot springs. One is a pool in a forested canyon south of town, reached by snowmobile or dog sled in winter. Closer in, a hot springs park beside the Snake River has several soaking pools, and resort spas cater to tired skiers.

Fort Collins has no springs nearby, and the closest soak is at Idaho Springs, well over an hour and a half's drive away. Rest there means day spas, yoga and an unhurried pace along the shaded river paths.