Steamboat Springs or Taos?

Neither town has any beach life to offer, and both lie far inland. The difference is in how you get wet in summer. In Steamboat you can take a brief, chilly swim in Steamboat Lake or Stagecoach, or float the Yampa on a tube right through town.

In Taos, the Rio Grande is for rafting rather than swimming, so a hotel pool or a hot spring is the closest thing to a dip.

Taos eats with more character. Its northern New Mexican cooking, with red and green chile, posole, carne adovada and horno bread from the Pueblo, is a regional cuisine worth seeking out in its own right. Steamboat's steakhouses, Colorado lamb and brewpubs along Lincoln Avenue are satisfying after a day on the slopes but rarely memorable.

Neither has much range. Still, in Taos dinner can be part of the reason for the trip, while in Steamboat it mostly refuels you.

This is where the two towns differ most. Taos has Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO-listed adobe village lived in for around a thousand years. It also has the buttressed church at Ranchos that O'Keeffe painted, and a string of small museums from the art colony, including the Harwood and the Millicent Rogers.

Steamboat's heritage is ranching and skiing: a few western storefronts, the Tread of Pioneers Museum and the historic Howelsen Hill. That makes a pleasant hour, where Taos fills two or three days.

Both are early-to-bed mountain towns, but Steamboat has the livelier evenings. Après-ski at the gondola base spills into the saloons and brewpubs of Lincoln Avenue, and some stay busy late in ski season.

In Taos, a night out is more likely to be a margarita in an adobe hotel bar or a band in a saloon, and most evenings are over soon after dinner.

Both are outstanding mountain bases, and the difference lies in the landscape. Steamboat is green, forested ski country. Its ski mountain is famous for light Champagne Powder and aspen glades, and summer brings biking on Emerald Mountain, Fish Creek Falls, fly fishing on the Yampa and backpacking in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness.

Taos is high desert under the Sangre de Cristo. It has steeper, more demanding skiing at the ski valley, a hike up Wheeler Peak at 4,013m, rafting through the Taos Box in the Rio Grande gorge and huge open skies.

Steamboat is isolated. Its neighbours, Hayden, Oak Creek and Yampa, are small ranching towns worth little more than a coffee stop. Vail is about two hours of mountain driving away and Denver about three, so most outings mean heading into the hills.

Taos is much better placed for excursions. Santa Fe is about an hour and a half away on the direct road. The slower, winding High Road turns the trip into a day out of its own, through the mountain villages of Truchas and Las Trampas to the sanctuary at Chimayó. Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch, in O'Keeffe country, are about an hour and a quarter away, and Bandelier's cliff dwellings make a long but worthwhile day.

Steamboat is the more family-friendly of the two. Besides a strong ski school, it has Howelsen Hill for quiet first turns and the Old Town Hot Springs with slides and a climbing wall. In summer, Yampa tubing and the gondola give children plenty to do close to town.

Taos can work for outdoorsy families, with float trips, horse riding and a recreation centre pool. Its museums are small art collections, though, and every outing involves the car. Both share the same altitude caveat for young children.

Steamboat is noticeably easier without wheels. The town bus links the walkable downtown with the ski base, and many lodgings are within walking distance of the gondola, although the hot springs, falls and passes still need a car.

Taos is a car town almost by default. The Pueblo, the gorge, the ski valley and Ranchos are spread across a wide valley. Most visitors also drive about two and a half hours from Albuquerque, whereas Steamboat has a regional airport at Hayden nearby.

Taos is the place for anyone who buys art and craft. Its galleries around the plaza and Kit Carson Road sell turquoise and silver, Pueblo micaceous pottery, Rio Grande weaving and carved santos, some bought straight from the makers.

Steamboat's offer is a stroll along Lincoln Avenue for western boots and hats at the long-established F.M. Light & Sons, with some galleries and ski shops alongside.

Taos is the easier place to keep costs reasonable. Its simple motels and casual New Mexican diners are fairly priced, though ski-valley lodging, historic inns and the near-unavoidable hire car add up.

Steamboat charges resort prices across the board in ski season, especially around Christmas and spring breaks. Self-catering condos and free trails help, but even summer and the shoulder seasons stay expensive.

Both have modest offerings centred on summer, and they differ in character. Steamboat has the long-running Strings Music Festival, with chamber music, jazz and bluegrass in its pavilion, along with free outdoor concerts and student theatre at Perry-Mansfield.

The most memorable performances in Taos are the traditional feast-day dances at Taos Pueblo, such as San Gerónimo in late September. These are watched quietly under strict rules, alongside a summer chamber music festival.

Steamboat has the stronger bathing culture, with hot springs right on the doorstep. Old Town Hot Springs is in town, and the rock pools at Strawberry Park lie about 11km up a mountain road, wonderful on a snowy evening.

Taos relies more on silence and space, with yoga studios and retreat centres. For a serious soak, you drive about fifty minutes to Ojo Caliente or hike down to primitive springs beside the Rio Grande.