Aspen or Sedona?

Neither town is a place to swim, but Sedona at least gives you somewhere to get wet outdoors. At Slide Rock you can ride a smooth sandstone chute in Oak Creek, and Grasshopper Point and Red Rock Crossing have deeper pools beneath the cliffs. These are a welcome way to cool off after a hot hike.

Aspen's options are colder and fewer: alpine lakes, small reservoirs or a raft trip down the Roaring Fork. For an actual swim, most visitors end up in a hotel pool.

Aspen eats better and more widely. Its downtown grid has chef-led dining rooms, steak, sushi and Italian places, deep wine lists, and the ritual of après-ski on the terraces at the foot of Aspen Mountain. The Food & Wine Classic each June shows how seriously the town takes eating out. Be aware that many kitchens close in the quiet weeks of spring and autumn.

Sedona's strengths are Southwestern cooking, plenty of vegetarian and health-minded menus, and sunset tables facing the rocks. The best few kitchens are soon covered. The tasting rooms of the nearby Verde Valley wine country make a good addition.

Both towns are small, and neither has a major museum, so the difference lies in what kind of past you find. Aspen's history is built and urban: red-brick silver-boom blocks around the Wheeler Opera House, painted miners' cottages in the West End, and modernist design at Herbert Bayer's Aspen Institute campus and the Aspen Art Museum.

Sedona's history is older and lies out in the landscape. You can visit the Sinagua cliff dwellings at Palatki and Honanki and the V Bar V petroglyphs, as well as the Chapel of the Holy Cross, set into a butte. The town also has galleries of Western and Native American art.

Aspen offers a real night out, at least in ski season. Drinks begin on the slopeside decks as the lifts close and carry on in downtown bars and lounges. Around Christmas, New Year and the X Games, the hotel bars and a few small clubs stay busy late with a well-dressed crowd. Summer evenings are quieter, mostly drinks on patios.

Sedona goes to bed early, because its visitors are on the trail at dawn. A brewpub or wine bar in Uptown is about as late as it gets, and the best thing to do after dark is look at the stars.

Both are outstanding outdoor destinations, but the scenery could hardly be more different. Aspen is high alpine country at about 2,400m: four ski mountains in winter, then the Maroon Bells, wilderness passes, summits above 4,000m and fly-fishing on the Roaring Fork in summer, with the aspen groves turning gold in late September.

Sedona is red sandstone desert, with buttes and spires such as Cathedral Rock and Devil's Bridge that you can reach on a dense network of trails. The slickrock singletrack is famous among mountain bikers, and the Grand Canyon's South Rim is about two hours away. It is best in spring and autumn, whereas Aspen's peaks are in winter and summer.

Sedona has more worthwhile places within a drive. Jerome, an old copper town on a steep hillside, is forty minutes away. The Verde Canyon Railroad runs through a canyon with no road, and Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot are ancient sites within half an hour. Flagstaff, Prescott and Williams extend the list further.

From Aspen the outings are mainly small mountain towns: Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, and Redstone and Marble up the Crystal River valley. Leadville is a good trip over Independence Pass, but the pass closes in winter, which leaves even less to choose from.

Aspen is the easier choice with children, especially in winter. Buttermilk and Snowmass have gentle runs, good ski schools and kids' areas, and the free buses make getting around simple. In summer the lifts take families up to alpine coasters and ropes courses. Young children may feel the altitude for the first day or two.

Sedona works for families who enjoy the outdoors: sliding at Slide Rock, short trails below Bell Rock and jeep rides over the slickrock. Summer heat and exposed trails mean small children need watching, and every outing involves a drive.

This is where the two differ most in daily practice. In Aspen you can leave the car behind. The flat downtown grid takes minutes to cross, the gondola leaves from its edge, free buses run to the other ski mountains and down the valley, and a summer shuttle goes to the Maroon Bells. The local airport is close to town.

Sedona is spread along two highways meeting at the Y. Only Uptown is walkable, so trailheads, the chapel and the Verde Valley all need a car. Weekend traffic and full trailhead car parks are part of a visit, and most people drive up from Phoenix, about two hours away.

Aspen is the place for serious shopping, as long as you want luxury. Its pedestrian malls hold international designer boutiques, high-end ski wear, jewellers, Western leather and commercial galleries, more than you would expect in a town of its size.

Sedona's shopping is about art and the spirit rather than fashion. Tlaquepaque's courtyards are full of galleries and craft studios, the main road sells Native American jewellery, pottery and rugs, and the crystal and metaphysical shops are part of the town's character.

Neither is a cheap trip, but Aspen costs more. Ski-season rooms, lift tickets, ski school and meals are all priced for a very wealthy clientele, and even staying down the valley in Glenwood Springs or Carbondale only softens the bill. The free buses are the one real saving.

Sedona's resorts and restaurants are expensive too, particularly in spring and autumn, but the main attraction costs little. Most trails need only a parking pass, and a picnic on the rocks is free. Staying in Cottonwood or Flagstaff cuts the cost of a room.

Aspen has much more to offer here, mainly in summer. The Aspen Music Festival fills about eight weeks with orchestral, chamber and opera performances in the Benedict Music Tent, and you can listen for free from the lawn outside. Jazz and the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet add to the season, and the Wheeler Opera House has shows all year.

Sedona has occasions rather than a season: the long-running film festival in late winter, some chamber concerts and local theatre, and Native American flute players in resort lounges. For anything more, you have to drive to Flagstaff or Phoenix.

Sedona is built for this kind of trip. Its destination spas face the red canyons, and yoga, meditation, breathwork and alternative therapies are offered all over town. Sunrise walks to the vortexes are a local ritual, and the nights are dark and still.

Aspen is restful in summer and the quiet seasons, with riverside paths and resort spas, but less so in peak ski weeks. It does have the one thing Sedona lacks, natural hot water. The mineral pools and vapour caves of Glenwood Springs are an hour away, and Conundrum Hot Springs is at the end of a long wilderness hike.