Sun Valley or Taos?

Neither town has a coast, but Sun Valley at least offers somewhere to swim in summer. Redfish Lake under the Sawtooths, about an hour north, has a sandy shore, and there are reservoirs and eddies on the Big Wood nearer town, though the water stays cold.

Taos has even less. The Rio Grande in its gorge is for rafting rather than swimming, so a hotel pool or a hot spring is as close as it gets.

Both towns eat well for their size, but in very different ways. Taos has a cuisine of its own: red and green chile, posole and carne adovada at old family places around the plaza and towards Ranchos, plus horno bread from the Pueblo.

Ketchum offers no regional cooking to seek out, but its après-ski grills and more ambitious kitchens cooking trout, lamb and elk are aimed at a wealthier crowd, with fewer cheap meals to fall back on.

This is where Taos pulls far ahead. Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage site lived in for around a thousand years, is a sight of real weight, and the buttressed church at Ranchos de Taos, the Harwood and Millicent Rogers museums and the Fechin House add two or three unhurried days.

Sun Valley's story is shorter: the 1936 Union Pacific resort with the first chairlifts, the film-star photographs in the Lodge and Hemingway's grave in Ketchum. It makes a pleasant afternoon, not a reason to come.

Both towns are quiet after dinner, with no clubs in either. Ketchum's evenings are livelier in the ski season, when skiers come straight off Baldy into saloons and old western bars that stay loud until closing. In Taos the evening is more of a margarita in an adobe hotel bar or a brewery taproom, and the après-ski crowd stays up at the ski valley rather than in town.

Both are outstanding mountain bases, and the difference is in character. Sun Valley is lift-served alpine country: steep fall-line runs on Bald Mountain right above town, dry snow, dense summer singletrack, fly fishing on the Big Wood and Silver Creek, and the Sawtooths an hour north.

Taos pairs high peaks with desert. The ski valley is half an hour up a canyon, Wheeler Peak is New Mexico's highest summit, and the Rio Grande gorge brings spring rafting through the Taos Box and rim walks under very big skies.

Taos is far richer for outings. The High Road to Santa Fe passes through Truchas, Las Trampas and the sanctuary at Chimayó, and Abiquiu, Ghost Ranch and Bandelier's cliff dwellings are all within a day's drive.

From Sun Valley the choice is mostly more wilderness. Hailey's main street and the log cabins of Stanley are pleasant, and Shoshone Falls is about two hours south, but there are few towns or heritage sites to build a day around.

Both suit outdoor families more than those who need attractions, and neither has a zoo or theme park. Sun Valley is the simpler stay, with a separate beginner hill, an outdoor ice rink and a compact town where children can get about without a car. Taos offers gentle float trips on the Rio Grande and a large recreation centre pool, but nearly every outing starts with a drive.

Sun Valley is much easier without a car. A free bus links Ketchum, the village and the lift bases, a paved bike path runs down the valley, and many visitors spend a whole ski week on foot and by bus, needing wheels only for the Sawtooths and trailheads.

In Taos only the plaza and the lanes around it are walkable. The Pueblo, the gorge, the ski valley and every village are spread across a wide valley, and with most visitors driving in from Albuquerque, a hire car is part of the trip.

Taos is the better place to buy something worth taking home. Turquoise and silver jewellery, micaceous pottery, Rio Grande weaving and carved santos are local crafts, and buying pottery or bread from makers at the Pueblo is a real encounter.

Ketchum's few blocks lean towards western art galleries, serious ski and fly-fishing gear and costly boutiques selling cashmere and home decor to second-home owners.

Taos is the noticeably cheaper stay. Simple motels and casual New Mexican diners are fairly priced, though the hire car, historic inns and ski-valley lodging push costs up.

Sun Valley is expensive almost whatever you do, with rooms, meals and lift access priced for a wealthy crowd and little budget lodging. Staying down the valley and visiting in spring or autumn helps without making it cheap.

Sun Valley has the stronger summer programme. Its music festival brings a full professional orchestra to the open pavilion by the lodge, free to attend, with picnics on the lawn, and star skaters perform on the outdoor rink on summer evenings.

Taos has a summer chamber music festival too, but its most memorable performances are the feast-day dances at Taos Pueblo, such as San Gerónimo in late September, watched quietly and without cameras. Outside these moments, both are quiet.

Taos has the deeper offer. Ojo Caliente, about fifty minutes away, is a historic hot springs resort with outdoor pools fed by several mineral waters, and there are primitive soaks beside the Rio Grande, plus yoga studios and retreat centres in town.

Sun Valley's rest is more about hotel spas and heated outdoor pools under falling snow, with rough creekside hot springs up the Warm Springs valley for those who don't mind a dirt road.