Jackson Hole or Whistler?

Neither place is for swimming, but Whistler's summer lakes work far better as beaches. Lost Lake, with its sandy shore and dock, is a walk from the village, and Alta and Alpha Lakes have grassy parks, rafts and jetties that warm up in a hot spell.

In Jackson Hole, sandy-bottomed String Lake is the only one that really warms up, and only in late summer. Jenny Lake stays bracing, and the Snake River is for floating, not swimming.

The two eat about equally well for mountain towns, but the cooking is different. Jackson's menus run to elk, bison, Rocky Mountain trout and huckleberries in everything, served in steakhouses and Western saloons around the Town Square.

Whistler leans towards the Pacific, with BC salmon, spot prawns and deep cellars of British Columbia wine, plus ramen and sushi counters and the nachos-and-craft-beer après ritual. Neither has street food, and in both you will soon know every restaurant on a few streets.

Neither town is a sightseeing destination, and in each one a day covers the main sights. Jackson's are about the frontier West: the antler arches and boardwalks, the National Museum of Wildlife Art above the elk refuge, and the Mormon Row barns and log chapel framed by the Tetons.

Whistler has no old town. Its culture is indoors and Indigenous: Emily Carr paintings and Northwest Coast masks at the Audain Art Museum, carving and weaving at the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, and the venues of the 2010 Winter Games.

Whistler is where the nights run late. Après-ski on the packed patios moves on to clubs and late bars in the village, full of seasonal workers and visiting groups until the early hours on winter weekends.

Jackson's classic night out is a two-step on the dance floor of the historic saloon, with a brewpub after, and the town is quiet well before midnight. Out of season both go quiet, but Jackson's bars can be close to empty.

Both are among the world's great mountain bases, and the difference is in what the mountains offer. Jackson Hole is a national park town. The Tetons rise straight from the valley floor, Yellowstone is within a long morning's drive, and you will see a lot of wildlife. Teton Village's steep lift-served terrain is a magnet for expert skiers.

Whistler wins on the sheer size of its ski terrain: two huge mountains joined by the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, glaciers and deep Coast Mountains snow. In summer the lower slopes become a famous downhill bike park, and the trails climb to the turquoise lakes of Garibaldi.

Whistler has the better outing, because Vancouver is about two hours down the scenic Sea to Sky Highway, with Squamish's gondola and the Britannia mining museum on the way. A full city within reach is something Jackson simply lacks.

From Jackson, the drive over Teton Pass to Victor and Driggs, or out to Pinedale, is pleasant scenery but little more. Almost every good day out goes into the parks.

Whistler is a little easier with children, mostly because the village is car-free and the lodgings often have kitchens. Ski school, tubing, the adventure park and mini-golf at Blackcomb, and the lake beaches are all close together.

Jackson offers something more memorable but more tiring: bison and moose from the car, Junior Ranger badges, a sleigh ride through the elk herd, the summer rodeo and the shootout on the square. The price is long drives, high altitude and little to do on a wet day.

Whistler is much easier without a car. The pedestrian village sits at the foot of both gondolas, free shuttles run along the valley, and the paved Valley Trail links the lakes on foot or by bike.

Jackson's centre is walkable and a bus runs out to Teton Village, but there is no public transport into Grand Teton or Yellowstone. Dawn and dusk wildlife drives mean you will want a car of your own, with good tyres in winter.

Both offer a few streets of resort shopping, but you come home with different things. Jackson sells the West: galleries of wildlife bronzes and landscape painting, handmade cowboy hats and boots, and turquoise jewellery along the covered boardwalks.

Whistler's shops are mostly about gear, with skis, boards, bikes and technical outerwear, plus Indigenous prints and carvings in its galleries.

Both are very expensive, and neither has a cheap season in winter. Jackson's high costs come from scarce rooms and resort prices on everything from rental cars to rafting, though trails and roadside wildlife cost nothing. Staying over the pass in Idaho is the main way to save.

In Whistler the lift passes hit hardest, and the Christmas weeks are the costliest. Kitchens in the lodgings, free shuttles and rooms further down the valley soften the bill.

Jackson has more for listeners, at least in summer. The Grand Teton Music Festival, running since the 1960s, brings orchestral players from across America to the timber hall in Teton Village. Chuckwagon dinner shows and country bands in the saloons add a local flavour.

Whistler offers free concerts on Olympic Plaza, buskers and pub cover bands. For an orchestra or a proper play, you will have to go down to Vancouver.

Whistler is the better place to recover. Its large Nordic-style spa beside the river, with hot pools, saunas and cold plunges among the cedars and a rule of silence, can fill an evening on its own, and hotel spas and massage studios are everywhere.

Jackson's appeal is natural hot water instead. There is a hot springs pool in a forested canyon, reached by snowmobile or dog sled in winter, and soaking pools on the banks of the Snake. Beyond those, it is mostly resort spas.