Jackson Hole or Park City?

Neither town is somewhere to come for swimming, but Jackson Hole has the more appealing water for a few weeks in midsummer. String Lake lies beneath the Tetons, is shallow with a sandy bottom, and warms enough for a proper swim, which makes a good break on a hike.

Park City's version is Jordanelle Reservoir down the valley. It has sandy areas and picnic lawns, but the water stays cool and the season is short, so most visitors end up in hotel pools and hot tubs instead.

The two eat at much the same level. Game, trout and steak are at the centre of both menus, and very little is cheap. Jackson's cooking has more local character, with huckleberries in everything from cocktails to ice cream, Western saloons serving burgers and a summer farmers' market on the Town Square.

Park City's strengths are its après-ski decks and the polished dining rooms along Main Street. It also has Salt Lake City's wider choice of cuisines a short drive down the canyon. Cheaper meals there usually mean the chains at Kimball Junction.

In both towns you can see the sights in a day or less, so culture plays a supporting role either way. Jackson's highlights are art and setting: the National Museum of Wildlife Art above the elk refuge, and the Mormon Row barns and log chapel framed by the Tetons.

Park City's story is silver mining. You see it in Main Street's restored wooden storefronts and the headframes on the slopes, and the museum in the old city hall tells it, down to the jail cells in the basement. The Utah Olympic Park adds the story of the 2002 Winter Games.

Evenings are equally short in both towns, starting with après-ski and fading well before midnight. Jackson's classic night out is the historic saloon with saddles for bar stools and a country dance floor. Brewpubs around the square and loud winter après at Teton Village fill out the rest.

Park City keeps its bars on Main Street, where a few places bring in DJs or bands and winter weekends can get rowdy. It also has an option Jackson lacks: Salt Lake City, under an hour away, for anyone who wants to stay out late.

Both are first-rate mountain bases, and the difference is in what the mountains offer. Jackson Hole is about wild country. The Tetons rise sheer from the valley, Grand Teton National Park is on the doorstep and Yellowstone is within reach. Wildlife runs from moose and bison to grizzlies and thousands of wintering elk, and the Teton Village tram climbs above some of the steepest lift-served skiing in North America.

Park City is the more convenient base for sport. Two big ski areas rise straight from town, dry Utah powder falls all winter, and Alta and Snowbird are within an hour. In summer, hundreds of kilometres of singletrack start from the streets, which makes it the better pick for mountain biking.

From Jackson almost every outing goes into the landscape rather than to another town. The Idaho farm towns over Teton Pass make a pleasant drive with a view of the range's western face, but outside the parks nothing nearby is worth a full day on its own.

Park City has far more to fill a day away. Salt Lake City, with Temple Square, the domed State Capitol and its museums, is under an hour down the canyon. The Heber Valley steam railway, Swiss-styled Midway and railroad-era Ogden add variety.

Park City is a little easier with children. Free buses to well-run ski schools spare parents from fitting car seats every morning. The Olympic Park has an alpine coaster, ziplines and freestyle skiers flipping into a splash pool, and in summer the resort bases add slides and climbing walls built for children.

Jackson's appeal for families is wildlife and the parks: Junior Ranger badges, a sleigh ride through the elk herd, the summer rodeo and the shootout on the square. The cost is long drives and little to do on a rainy day.

Jackson's compact centre is easy to walk and a bus runs to Teton Village, and its airport is the closer of the two, a short drive away inside the national park. Beyond that you need your own car: there is no public transport into Grand Teton or Yellowstone, and wildlife watching at dawn and dusk depends on having one.

Park City is much easier without a car. Free buses link Old Town, both ski bases, the outlying lodging areas and Kimball Junction. Parking at the resorts is awkward enough that leaving the car behind makes sense, although trips further afield still go better with one.

Both towns offer a few blocks of resort browsing, and what differs is the emphasis. Jackson leans towards art and craft, with galleries of Western and wildlife painting and bronze, handmade cowboy hats and boots, and turquoise jewellery along its covered boardwalks.

Park City's Main Street has similar galleries and Western wear. What it adds is the outlet centre and chain stores at Kimball Junction, with Salt Lake City close by for any serious shopping.

Both are among the most expensive mountain resorts in North America, and neither is a budget choice. In Jackson, the ways to spend less are staying over Teton Pass in Idaho or coming in late spring or autumn. Once you are there, the trails, viewpoints and roadside wildlife cost little.

In Park City, the free buses save on a hire car, and summer and autumn bring prices down. Budget travellers often stay in Salt Lake City or the Heber Valley and drive up for the day.

Both towns are at their liveliest for music in summer. Jackson's highlight is the Grand Teton Music Festival, which brings players from leading American orchestras to the timber concert hall at Teton Village. Chuckwagon dinner shows and country bands in the saloons add a Western flavour.

Park City has more going on outside summer thanks to the 1920s Egyptian Theatre on Main Street, with comedy, plays and cabaret all year. In summer the Utah Symphony plays on the lawns at Deer Valley.

Jackson's natural hot springs are more of an adventure. The best is a pool in a forested canyon, which in winter you reach by snowmobile or dog sled, and an easier soaking park sits beside the Snake River. Beyond those, wellness there mostly means hotel spas and massage for sore skiers.

Park City is the more comfortable place to unwind. The big lodges at Deer Valley and the Canyons base run polished spas, and outdoor hot pools come with most stays. In Midway, the Homestead Crater lets you swim in warm geothermal water inside a limestone dome.