Alta, Utah or Page, Arizona?

On this the two are far apart. Alta sits at the head of a mountain canyon with nowhere to swim except a lodge pool or hot tub. The Great Salt Lake far below is not a lake people swim in.

Page has Lake Powell on its doorstep, and in summer it offers proper swimming: open sand at Lone Rock, coves around Wahweap, and jumps from sandstone into deep water off a boat or kayak. There are no lifeguards and no beach town, and the water is only warm enough from late spring to early autumn, but the swimming is real.

Neither town is worth planning meals around, but Page gives you a little more choice. In Alta, dinner usually comes with the room and is served at set times in the lodge dining rooms. Lunch is at a slopeside cafeteria, and for variety you have to drive down the canyon to Salt Lake City.

Page at least has a strip of diners, barbecue and Mexican places to choose from. The Navajo taco, served on frybread, gives it one dish that belongs to the place.

Page has a little more to see, though neither is a sightseeing trip. Alta's past as a silver-mining camp survives only as old mine workings on the slopes, with no museum or historic building to visit.

Page has the Glen Canyon Dam and its visitor centre, a small museum devoted to John Wesley Powell, and the Navajo Nation all around it. That living culture is something Alta simply lacks.

Both towns go quiet early, for different reasons. In Alta the evening is a drink in a lodge bar and then bed before the lifts open, and the livelier après-ski scene is at the neighbouring resort. Page has a few bars and a brewpub on its main strip, but its best night out is the very dark desert sky, thick with stars.

Both are trips built around landscape, but very different landscapes. Alta is high-mountain country: deep, dry Wasatch powder in winter and serious backcountry touring among avalanche-prone bowls. In summer there are the meadows of Albion Basin, with hikes to Cecret Lake and Sugarloaf.

Page is red rock and water. It has the slot canyons of Antelope Canyon, the drop at Horseshoe Bend, boat trips through Lake Powell's flooded canyons to Rainbow Bridge, and rafting or floating from Lees Ferry. Page's hiking is best in spring and autumn, while Alta's comes in summer once the snow has gone.

Alta has the better day trips, mainly because Salt Lake City is under an hour down the canyon. There you have Temple Square, the State Capitol and the city's museums. Park City's old mining Main Street is about as far. The catch is the single canyon road, which can close after heavy snow.

Page's day trips are mostly more scenery rather than towns to explore: the pioneer buildings at Lees Ferry, the cliff dwellings at Navajo National Monument about two hours away, and the small Western town of Kanab. Expect long drives between them.

Page suits more families. Children take easily to a day splashing at Lone Rock or boating into coves, the Antelope Canyon tours are short, and motels with pools make evenings easy. Parents need to watch for the unfenced cliff edges and the summer sun.

Alta only really works if the family skis. There is a ski school and gentle terrain at the base, but little else for children. The altitude can tire young ones, and storm days may keep everyone indoors.

Alta is the easier of the two, as long as the canyon road cooperates. Shuttles and ski buses run up from Salt Lake City, about 50km away. Once you arrive, the lodges sit at the lifts and a village shuttle links them. The trouble comes on powder mornings and after storms, when the single road backs up or closes.

In Page you need a car for everything. There is no useful public transport, the sights are spread along open highway, and the nearest major airports are hours away, so most people arrive on a road trip anyway.

Neither is a place for shopping, but Page has one thing worth buying. Navajo silver and turquoise jewellery, rugs and pottery are sold at trading posts and roadside stalls, often by the person who made them. Alta's shops stop at ski rental, tuning and branded gear, so anyone wanting more drives to Park City or Salt Lake City.

Page is easier on a budget, though it is not cheap. Most of the cost comes from the paid Antelope Canyon tours and boat hire, and camping at Lone Rock or Wahweap, or coming in winter, keeps the bill down.

Alta has few beds, almost all in ski lodges that charge high rates in the ski season with dinner included, and there is nothing budget up the canyon. Lift tickets are moderate for a major American resort. The usual way to save is to sleep in the Salt Lake valley and ride up each day.

Neither town has much in the way of performing arts. Page does have the occasional Navajo cultural presentation, a dinner show with traditional dance, or a local band in a bar. From Alta, the nearest concert, play or symphony is in Salt Lake City.

Alta is the better place to slow down. After a day of skiing there are outdoor hot tubs in the snow, saunas and small lodge spas, and the tiny village, silent on storm days, makes for deep rest. The facilities are modest, though, so it is not a spa vacation.

Page's calm comes from its dark skies and wide views. But most stays run on pre-dawn starts and long drives, and spa facilities go no further than what a few hotels offer and motel pools.