Rockies depends a lot too - My Rocky Mountains (Alberta and BC in Canada) are a lot different than the Rockies in Colorado.
I tend to trailrunners, with a pair of thin wicking socks in warmer weather on established trails.
For anything off trail or more rugged, I wear boots.
I want my trailrunners to be non-waterproof.. if I boot through water in them I want them to dry out quickly.
My boots I want to hold out water. I prefer smaller leather boots - non goretex - properly treated they keep out water just fine. I've worn through my last pair of decent Raichle's and last year sprung for a pair of Hanwag's. with good conditioner and wax I wade in them without getting wet unless I go over the tops. The most common way for me to get wet is pushing through thick wet (or snowy) brush where I get wet enough above my gaiters that it drips down my legs into the boots. Or I just get annoyed and wade in them on a crossing.
In either case, like Tom has mentioned, I stop, wring out my socks and things dry out.
But really I'm one of either two schools - well ventilated trailrunner, or full on boot (usually with gaiters) - what I take depends on where I'm going.