Jackson Hole or Taos?

Neither is a swimming destination, but Jackson Hole has a small edge. In late summer the shallow, sandy-bottomed String Lake warms enough for a real swim after a hike, even if Jenny Lake stays bracing.

Taos offers nothing like that. Its Rio Grande is for rafting and its mountain lakes stay cold, so a hotel pool or a hot spring is as close as it gets.

The two eat about equally well, but they taste of different regions. Jackson is about game and ranch food, with elk, bison and Rocky Mountain trout, huckleberries in everything and a few chef-led dining rooms and serious wine lists paid for by the valley's wealth.

Taos is the place for northern New Mexican cooking: posole, carne adovada and sopaipillas under red or green chile, plus horno bread from the Pueblo. Its old family places are also easier on the wallet than anything around Jackson's Town Square.

Here Taos is far ahead. Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage site still home to a Tiwa-speaking community, is a sight of a different order from anything in Wyoming, and the buttressed adobe church at Ranchos de Taos, painted by O'Keeffe, adds a second landmark. The Harwood, Millicent Rogers and Fechin collections fill out two or three days.

Jackson's culture is a short list: the antler arches and boardwalks of the square, the National Museum of Wildlife Art and the photogenic barns of Mormon Row. They are best enjoyed in a single day between hikes.

Jackson Hole has more going on after dark. In ski season the après bars in Teton Village get loud as the lifts close, and the historic saloon with saddle bar stools and a country dance floor makes a proper night out.

Taos is quieter still. A margarita in an adobe hotel bar or a brewery taproom is the usual evening, and most nights end soon after dinner. Neither town has clubs.

Both are outstanding mountain bases, but Jackson Hole is the stronger one. The Tetons rise without foothills, Grand Teton and Yellowstone are both within reach, and the wildlife is exceptional: grizzlies, moose, bison and thousands of wintering elk. The tram to 3,185m serves some of North America's steepest lift-served skiing.

Taos is different in character rather than lesser in drama. It is high desert meeting mountain, with the deep Rio Grande gorge, spring rafting through the Taos Box, the climb up Wheeler Peak at 4,013m and the enormous skies the place is known for.

Taos wins easily. The High Road to Santa Fe passes Truchas, the adobe church at Las Trampas and the sanctuary at Chimayó, and Abiquiu, Ghost Ranch and Bandelier's cliff dwellings are all realistic days out.

From Jackson, nearly every outing goes into the parks and the scenery rather than to another town. The Idaho villages over Teton Pass and the ranch towns to the south are pleasant drives but rarely worth a whole day.

Jackson Hole suits children noticeably better. Spotting wildlife from the car, Junior Ranger programmes in the parks, gentle Snake River floats, the winter sleigh ride among elk and the summer rodeo give a family plenty to do, and the town is small and easy.

Taos offers float trips, horse riding, a ski school and a recreation centre with a pool, but its museums are small art collections that rarely hold a child's interest. In both places the altitude and long drives tire younger children.

Jackson Hole is the easier of the two to reach and get around. Its airport sits inside the national park, a short drive from town, the shops and lodgings around the Town Square are all within walking distance, and in ski season a local bus links town with Teton Village. You still need a car for Grand Teton, Yellowstone and the trailheads.

Taos asks more of you. Most visitors fly into Albuquerque and drive about two and a half hours. Once you arrive, the Pueblo, the gorge bridge, the ski valley and the High Road are spread across a wide valley, so you will need a hire car for the whole trip.

Both towns sell art more than anything else, and Taos is slightly the better hunting ground. Its specialities are rooted in the place: Pueblo micaceous pottery, Rio Grande weaving, carved santos, and pieces bought directly from the makers at the Pueblo.

Jackson's galleries lean towards Western and wildlife bronzes and painting. The rest is handmade cowboy hats, high-end mountain gear and a few upscale boutiques for wealthy residents, which suits a different kind of buyer.

Taos is much easier on the budget. It is priced like an ordinary small mountain town, and simple motels and New Mexican diners are fair value, though the hire car adds to the total.

Jackson Hole is among the most expensive places to stay in the United States, with resort pricing on rooms, meals and guided trips. Sleeping over the pass in Idaho or going in late spring or autumn helps, and the trails and roadside wildlife cost nothing once you are there.

Both towns offer about the same amount of live performance, and in both it is seasonal. Jackson's highlight is the Grand Teton Music Festival, with orchestral musicians in a timber hall in Teton Village each summer, and the chuckwagon dinner shows and country bands are lighter fun.

In Taos the most memorable events are the feast-day dances at Taos Pueblo, such as San Gerónimo in late September. Visitors may watch them only quietly and without cameras. A summer chamber music festival covers the classical side.

Taos is the more restorative stay. Ojo Caliente's historic mineral pools lie under cliffs within an hour's drive, primitive hot springs sit beside the Rio Grande at the bottom of the gorge, and retreat centres and yoga draw on the valley's long spiritual reputation.

Jackson has good soaking too, at a canyon hot spring reached by snowmobile or dog sled in winter and a riverside hot springs park nearer town. Beyond those, though, relaxation mostly means luxury resort spas and massages for sore skiers.