Jasper or Kelowna?

Neither city is near the sea, so both beaches are on lakes, but Kelowna's are much better for swimming. Okanagan Lake runs along downtown, and City Park's Hot Sands, Gyro Beach and Rotary Beach give you sand, clear water warm enough for long swims in high summer, and windsurfing and paddleboarding.

Jasper's equivalent is Lake Annette and Lake Edith, a short drive out of town. Their small sandy beaches have a fine mountain backdrop, but the water stays bracing even in July. A swim there is a good way to end a hike, not the reason for the trip.

Kelowna has the clearer reason to eat out: the wine country on the slopes around it. There are terrace restaurants at the wineries, summer stands selling cherries and peaches, a farmers' market, and cideries and distilleries as well. Away from downtown the choice soon turns to highway chains.

Jasper has hearty food for hungry hikers, such as Alberta beef, bison, burgers and pizza, from a short list of places on the main streets. Tables are hard to get in peak summer, so many visitors self-cater from the grocery stores.

Neither is a sightseeing town, but Kelowna has a little more. Its downtown cultural district has a heritage museum that covers Syilx Okanagan history and a small art gallery, and the log buildings of Father Pandosy Mission are nearby. Together they make a full afternoon.

In Jasper, the 1914 stone and timber park information centre, the small museum, the railway station and a totem pole fit into one short walk, and then the town has nothing more to show.

Kelowna has at least a small summer scene. Pubs, taprooms, patio bars and a couple of clubs on and around Bernard Avenue fill with students, stag and hen groups and lake-weekend visitors, but it goes quiet once summer ends.

Jasper's evenings come down to a brewpub and a few pubs where seasonal staff gather. The best night out there is probably looking at the stars in one of the largest dark-sky preserves in the world.

Jasper is in a different league for wild country. Wildlife grazes at the edge of town, and Maligne Canyon, Maligne Lake with Spirit Island, the hanging glacier on Mount Edith Cavell and the Icefields Parkway to the Columbia Icefield are all within a drive. In winter there is Marmot Basin.

Kelowna's landscape is drier and tamer: pine-dotted hills, vineyards and a long lake for wakeboarding and kayaking. Its best outings are the trestle bridges and tunnels of Myra Canyon and a winter day at Big White. They make a very good outdoor trip, but not a wilderness one.

Kelowna is much the better base for touring. Penticton and the wineries of the Naramata Bench are about an hour away, and Oliver, Osoyoos and the Nk'Mip desert cultural centre are further south. To the north, Vernon has orchards and O'Keefe Ranch. It is a pleasant wine circuit, but there are only small towns along the way.

From Jasper, nearly every outing stays inside the park. Hinton and Valemount are practical stops rather than destinations, and Banff and Lake Louise are too far for a comfortable return trip, so they are better as the next stop.

Kelowna is easier with younger children. It has shallow, warm water at the beaches, playgrounds along the lakeshore, mini-golf, pick-your-own orchards and an animal farm, and the flat Myra Canyon trail suits small cyclists. Expect to drive between the attractions, though.

Jasper is better for children old enough to enjoy walks and long drives. Spotting elk from the car, crossing the bridges over Maligne Canyon and camping are what they will remember, but you need to keep a safe distance from wildlife and pack for cold weather even in summer.

In both places you will want a car. Kelowna is a little easier, because its walkable downtown connects to a lakeside path that is pleasant for cycling to the southern beaches, and wine tours can take care of the vineyards. Local buses run along the sprawl of Highway 97 but are not much use to visitors.

Jasper is a few blocks across, and you can arrive by train on the transcontinental line. Beyond the town there are only seasonal shuttles and tours, so without a car you will see little of the park.

Jasper's shops are there for the hiker who forgot something. Its two main streets have outdoor gear and rental shops, plush bears and park-themed clothing, and a few galleries selling Indigenous art and wildlife photography.

Kelowna gives you more to browse, and its best buys come from the valley itself: wine from the cellar doors, plus cider and fruit preserves from the farmers' market and roadside stands. Bernard Avenue adds independent boutiques and galleries, and the Orchard Park mall has the national chains, though you still would not plan a trip around shopping there.

Both are costly in summer, but Jasper costs more. It has a limited number of rooms inside a national park, and fuel and meals cost more than in the cities. On top of that you pay for a park pass and usually car hire. Camping, self-catering and a visit in the shoulder season or winter bring the costs down.

Kelowna's lakefront rooms are expensive in July and August, and winery tastings and boat hire add up quickly. Outside summer and the Big White ski weeks, though, accommodation becomes much more reasonable.

Kelowna has a modest regional programme: local theatre and dance at the Community Theatre and Rotary Centre for the Arts, the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, touring acts at the arena, and free summer concerts by the lake.

Jasper has no theatre or concert hall at all. Apart from a pub guitarist and a few festival events, an evening of live performance is not on offer.

Both towns are about equally good for unwinding, but in different ways. Jasper has the real bathing: Miette Hot Springs, an hour's drive east and open only in the warmer months, has hot outdoor pools in a forested valley. The town itself offers quiet mornings and dark night skies.

Kelowna has no springs. Instead it has hotel spas and the slow pace of wine country: long vineyard lunches, calm mornings on the lake and evening light over the hills.