Steamboat Springs or Whitefish?

Neither town is a beach destination, but Whitefish at least has a lakeshore on its doorstep. City Beach on Whitefish Lake has a strip of sand, a swimming dock and plenty of paddleboards. Flathead Lake, with clear water and pebbly state park shores, is forty minutes south, and on calm days in high summer the surface water reaches about 20°C.

In Steamboat the reservoirs at Steamboat Lake and Stagecoach stay colder. The usual way to get wet is tubing the Yampa through town, which is more of a float than a swim.

Both towns eat in much the same way: hearty western cooking, good beef, local breweries and a narrow choice with no market or street-food culture. The flavours differ. Steamboat leans on Colorado lamb and casual Mexican spots, spread between Lincoln Avenue and the ski base. Whitefish puts elk, bison and trout on Central Avenue menus, has a local distilling tradition, and in late summer puts huckleberries into pies, milkshakes and cocktails.

Neither town is a place for sightseeing, and an hour or two covers what each has. The themes differ, though. Steamboat's story is ranching and skiing, told in the Tread of Pioneers Museum and still visible at Howelsen Hill, one of the oldest ski areas in North America. Whitefish's story is the railway, with a small history museum inside the timber-framed Great Northern depot where trains still stop.

Evenings go much the same way in both towns: après-ski at the mountain base, then a move downtown, and no clubs in either. Steamboat's Lincoln Avenue brewpubs and saloons stay busy into the late evening during the ski season but go quiet early outside the peak weeks. Whitefish's Central Avenue saloons feel more old-fashioned, with pool tables, ranchers drinking alongside ski bums, and summer patios that can get a little rowdy.

Both are outdoor towns first and foremost, and Whitefish has a slight edge because of Glacier National Park. The Highline Trail, Grinnell Glacier, Lake McDonald, and grizzlies and mountain goats on the slopes make it the stronger summer destination. The catch is that the high country there only opens reliably from July to September.

Steamboat is the better ski town, with its famous dry Champagne Powder, tree skiing through the aspens, night skiing at Howelsen Hill and backcountry terrain on Rabbit Ears Pass. In summer it has Fish Creek Falls, the bike trails on Emerald Mountain and the alpine lakes of the Mount Zirkel Wilderness. That makes for a long and varied season, though none of it has the drama of a national park.

Whitefish has more towns worth driving to, although from both places most outings head for the hills. Kalispell, twenty minutes away, has the Victorian Conrad Mansion. Bigfork is a village of galleries on Flathead Lake, with cherry orchards along the shore, and the brick mission church at St Ignatius makes a longer outing.

Around Steamboat, Hayden, Oak Creek and Yampa are worth a coffee stop at most, and Vail is two hours away over the mountains. A day out from Steamboat almost always means heading for a trailhead rather than another town.

Steamboat is the better-equipped base for families. Its ski school and beginner terrain have a strong reputation, Howelsen Hill is a quiet place for first turns, and the pools, slides and climbing wall at Old Town Hot Springs give children something to do in town whatever the weather. In summer there is tubing, the gondola and the rodeo, though the altitude can tire small children for the first day or two.

Whitefish also works for families who like the outdoors. It has a summer zip line and alpine slide on the mountain, calm water at City Beach and easy trails such as the Trail of the Cedars. Its best sights, however, mean long drives into Glacier, which can be hard going for young children.

Both towns need a car once you leave town, but in Steamboat you can do more on foot and by bus. The town bus links downtown Lincoln Avenue with the ski base throughout the day, and many slopeside lodgings are within walking distance of the gondola.

Whitefish has a compact downtown, a free winter shuttle to the ski area and a long-distance train that stops at the depot, which is rare for a mountain town. Once you head for Glacier, Flathead Lake or the trailheads, though, you are on rural highways, and the park shuttle only covers the main road, so a hire car is all but essential.

Shopping is an afternoon's browse in either town, and both main streets sell western wear, outdoor gear and art. Steamboat has a landmark in F.M. Light & Sons, the old family outfitter on Lincoln Avenue. Whitefish leans more towards wildlife and landscape galleries and Montana-made goods such as huckleberry jam, and Kalispell is close by for bigger stores.

Neither town is cheap, but Whitefish is easier on a budget. Staying in Kalispell or Columbia Falls brings costs down, late spring and autumn are gentler, and Glacier is good value once you are inside, although nearly every trip needs a hire car.

Steamboat in ski season is the more expensive of the two, with slopeside condos, lift access and equipment hire all at resort prices, especially around Christmas and the spring breaks. Summer there is noticeably kinder on the wallet, and self-catering condos, the free trails and the town buses help.

Steamboat has the somewhat stronger summer programme. It is built around the long-running Strings Music Festival, with chamber music, jazz and bluegrass in its pavilion, and student theatre and dance at Perry-Mansfield, the Strawberry Park school and camp founded in 1913.

Whitefish's smaller offer is spread more evenly through the year. A community arts centre puts on theatre and touring shows, a summer company stages professional productions, and the valley symphony holds its summer festival over in Kalispell. Outside the warm months, both towns come down to live bands in the bars.

This is where Steamboat pulls well ahead, because hot water is part of the town's identity. The spring-fed pools at Old Town Hot Springs are used all year. About 11km up a mountain road, the rock-lined pools of Strawberry Park sit in a wooded creek valley and are at their best on a snowy evening.

Whitefish has no thermal baths nearby, and Montana's hot springs pools are a couple of hours' drive away. Relaxing there means lodge spas, yoga studios and slow mornings by the lake.