Jackson Hole or Palm Desert?

Neither place is anywhere near a sea, but Jackson Hole has some natural swimming. In late summer you can swim at String Lake, which has a sandy bottom, but Jenny Lake and the Snake River stay cold enough to make you gasp.

In Palm Desert the water is in resort pools. Many are heated, and you can use them all winter. Sand means a long drive to the Pacific coast, and the Salton Sea is not a place to swim.

The food is about as good in both, but different in style. Jackson has more of a regional menu: elk, bison and trout with huckleberries, served in chef-led dining rooms and saloons around the Town Square.

Palm Desert has polished but similar resort dining along El Paseo, and its local flavour lies further east. The Mexican taquerias in Indio and Coachella, and the date shakes from the groves, are the dishes worth driving for.

Neither is a sightseeing destination, and either can be covered in a morning or a day. Jackson's cultural highlights are tied to the landscape: the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and the barns of Mormon Row and the log chapel with the Tetons behind them.

Palm Desert has a branch of the Palm Springs Art Museum with a sculpture garden, plus galleries on El Paseo. Its real cultural asset is twenty minutes away, in the mid-century modern houses of Palm Springs.

Both towns go to bed early. Jackson has a seasonal energy: noisy après-ski bars in Teton Village in winter and a historic cowboy saloon with country dancing in town.

Palm Desert's evenings are quieter, with wine and cocktails on patios around El Paseo, mostly among golfers and retirees. For a late night you would drive to the tribal casinos or to the bars of downtown Palm Springs.

Jackson Hole is in a different league. The Tetons rise straight from the valley floor, and from the same base you can reach Grand Teton and Yellowstone, ski serious terrain and see grizzlies, moose and thousands of wintering elk. Rafting, fly fishing and the autumn aspens fill the rest of the year.

Palm Desert has fine desert scenery: canyon trails into the Santa Rosa Mountains, fan-palm oases and the boulders and night skies of Joshua Tree. However, summer heat cuts the outdoor season to October to May, and the range of activities and wildlife is much narrower.

Palm Desert has many more places to visit as day trips. Palm Springs is a short hop, and Temecula's wine country, cool Idyllwild, the old film set at Pioneertown and the painted hillside of Salvation Mountain all make a good day out.

From Jackson, excursions mean going into the parks rather than to other towns. Victor and Driggs over Teton Pass, or ranch towns like Pinedale, are pleasant drives, but none is worth a day for its own sake.

Jackson Hole works better for families who enjoy being outside. Children spot bison from the car, earn Junior Ranger badges, ride a sleigh through the elk herd and watch the summer shootout on the square. Long drives, altitude and rainy days are the drawbacks.

Palm Desert relies on one strong attraction, The Living Desert, a zoo with giraffes and cheetahs, plus resort pools and slides. After that it is a valley built for golfers and adults, and the summer heat keeps small children indoors at midday.

Both call for a car, but Jackson asks less of you once you have parked. Its centre is a few walkable blocks around the Town Square, and a bus runs to Teton Village in ski season. You still need your own wheels for trailheads and the parks.

Palm Desert is a low-density spread of wide boulevards and gated communities, and El Paseo is the only part of town made for walking. On the plus side, the roads are uncongested and parking is easy.

Palm Desert is the better place to shop. El Paseo is a palm-lined boulevard of fashion boutiques, jewellers and galleries, with a large mall nearby, a designer outlet centre half an hour west and vintage furniture shops in Palm Springs.

Jackson's shops fill a few blocks of boardwalk and are more specialised. They are strongest in Western and wildlife art, handmade cowboy hats and boots, turquoise and mountain gear, and much of the rest is souvenirs.

Palm Desert costs noticeably less overall. Chain hotels and rentals give cheaper options all year, and resort rooms fall sharply in the summer heat, although golf and spa treatments add up quickly.

Jackson Hole charges resort prices for nearly everything, from rooms and meals to lift tickets and guided trips. The relief comes from free trails and roadside wildlife, from staying over the pass in Idaho, and from visiting in the quiet shoulder months.

Palm Desert has the fuller stage. The McCallum Theatre brings touring Broadway shows, ballet and orchestras through the winter, the casinos host big-name concerts, and Coachella and Stagecoach take over Indio's polo grounds each spring.

Jackson's highlight is the Grand Teton Music Festival, held each summer in its timber concert hall in Teton Village, with chuckwagon shows and saloon country bands around it. Outside that season there is little to see in either town.

Palm Desert was built for taking it easy. Resort spas, long afternoons by the pool and an unhurried winter rhythm define a stay, and Desert Hot Springs, half an hour north, has spa hotels filled straight from natural mineral springs.

Jackson's version is a well-earned soak after a hard day outdoors. The canyon hot-spring pool south of town, reached in winter by snowmobile or dog sled, is a memorable experience, but otherwise wellness here means hotel spas and massages for sore skiers.