Kelowna or Whitefish?

Kelowna is a real lake-beach town in summer. Hot Sands in City Park sits right beside downtown, Gyro and Rotary beaches carry on along the shore, and Okanagan Lake warms enough for long swims through July and August.

Whitefish has City Beach and its swimming dock on Whitefish Lake, plus the clear, pebbly shores of Flathead Lake, but the water stays a few degrees cooler and the swimming window is a matter of weeks. It is a pleasant afternoon there, not the centre of the trip.

Kelowna eats better, mostly thanks to the wine country around it. Vineyard terrace restaurants in West Kelowna, East Kelowna and Lake Country cook from the valley's orchards and ranches, and summer farm stands sell cherries and peaches by the road.

Whitefish keeps to mountain-town comfort food: bison burgers, trout, wood-fired pizza and huckleberries in everything from pie to cocktails. It is satisfying after a hike, but a week means the same few spots on Central Avenue, and neither town has much international range.

Neither is a sightseeing destination, but Kelowna has a little more to fill a rainy afternoon: the Okanagan Heritage Museum, with its Syilx Okanagan history, a small art gallery and the 1860s log buildings of Father Pandosy Mission. Whitefish has essentially one stop, the timber Great Northern depot with its railway and logging museum, and some old frontage downtown.

Kelowna has the slightly bigger night out, and it is a younger one. Students, stag parties and lake crowds fill the patios along Bernard Avenue in summer, and there are a couple of clubs for later hours.

Whitefish has no clubs at all. Its evenings run to wooden saloons and brewery taprooms on Central Avenue, with après-ski drifting down from the mountain in winter, friendly and early to bed.

Whitefish is the stronger mountain base by some distance. Glacier National Park, about forty minutes away, offers the Highline Trail, Grinnell Glacier, Lake McDonald and real wilderness with grizzlies and bighorn sheep, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness lies beyond. Big Mountain gives skiing right above town.

Kelowna's outdoors are softer and centred on water: wakeboarding and kayaking on Okanagan Lake, the trestles of Myra Canyon, Knox Mountain views, and Big White an hour away for powder. The Okanagan's dry hills and vineyards are lovely, but they lack Glacier's high-country drama.

Kelowna has the better circuit of places to visit. Penticton and the Naramata Bench, the vineyards of Oliver and Osoyoos, the Nk'Mip desert cultural centre and Vernon's O'Keefe Ranch make several full days of driving through wine country.

From Whitefish the best outings are into the national park rather than to towns. Kalispell's Conrad Mansion, the galleries of Bigfork and the mission church at St Ignatius are worth a stop, but they are a short list.

Kelowna is easier with children for most of the summer. Shallow, warm lake water, playground parks along the shore, boat rentals, mini-golf and pick-your-own orchards keep a range of ages busy, and the flat Myra Canyon ride suits young cyclists.

Whitefish works well for outdoorsy families, with an alpine slide and zip line on Big Mountain and easy walks such as the Trail of the Cedars in Glacier. Children who do not want to hike, paddle or ski will run short of things to do sooner, and the park drives are long.

Whitefish is a little easier without your own wheels. The long-distance train stops at the depot in the middle of town, a free shuttle runs to the ski area in winter, and the park has its own summer shuttle on the main road.

Kelowna has a walkable downtown and a lakeside path towards the beaches, but the city sprawls along Highway 97 and the wineries and trails really need a car or a tour. In both places, a car remains close to essential for the landscapes.

Shopping is a minor pleasure in both, and the difference is in what you bring home. Kelowna's best buys come from cellar doors, cideries and fruit stands, with a regional mall for chains. Whitefish leans western, with boot and western-wear shops, wildlife art galleries and outdoor outfitters along Central Avenue.

Both are pricey summer resorts, though Kelowna is a little gentler on the budget. Its free beaches and parks take up much of a day, and rooms ease off noticeably once summer ends.

Whitefish has scarce rooms in both summer and ski season, and a hire car is needed. Staying in Kalispell or Columbia Falls helps, and Glacier itself costs little once you are inside.

Neither town is worth planning around for performances, and the calendars are similarly thin. Kelowna has the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and touring acts at the downtown arena, with music on winery patios in summer. Whitefish leans on a community arts centre and a professional summer theatre company, with the valley's symphony playing in nearby Kalispell.

Kelowna is the more relaxing stay. Resort spas at the larger lakeside hotels, long vineyard lunches and quiet mornings on the water give it an unhurried wine-country pace, especially outside the busiest summer weeks.

Whitefish offers lodge spas and yoga studios, but its days are built around exertion rather than rest, and Montana's hot springs are a couple of hours' drive away.