Flagstaff or Salt Lake City?

Neither city is anywhere near a sea, and swimming in both is something you do once or twice rather than a reason to go. The difference is in the kind of water. Near Flagstaff it means cold, slippery creek pools such as Slide Rock in Oak Creek Canyon. Near Salt Lake City you can float effortlessly in the Great Salt Lake, or drive up to Wasatch reservoirs like Jordanelle and Pineview, which have paddleboards and sandy patches of shore.

Food in both is casual and decent but rarely memorable, and neither is a place you would choose for its restaurants. In Flagstaff the main pleasure is craft beer on brewery patios downtown and in the Southside, with Navajo frybread and green chile adding a Southwestern touch.

Salt Lake City offers a little more range. It has its own quirks, such as fry sauce, fried scones with honey butter and dirty sodas, and the best meals are often found in the Mexican, Pacific Islander, Peruvian and Vietnamese kitchens along State Street. Utah's drinking rules mean that wine and cocktails are thinner on the ground than beer.

Salt Lake City has the more substantial set of sights. Temple Square brings together the granite temple, the domed Tabernacle and the pioneer history of 1847, and the State Capitol, the painted Cathedral of the Madeleine and the dinosaur halls of the Natural History Museum add to it.

Flagstaff's list is shorter but distinctive. The Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was discovered, and the Museum of Northern Arizona's Hopi, Navajo and Zuni collections are the high points, along with a brick railroad-era downtown on Route 66. In both places a couple of days is enough.

Nights out are low-key in both, and early risers heading for the mountains will be content in either. Flagstaff is a bar-hopping town, with taprooms, cocktail bars and old Route 66 saloons a few minutes' walk apart and students keeping term-time weekends lively.

Salt Lake City has a few dance clubs downtown and in the Granary District, as well as a long-established gay bar scene. However, Utah's liquor laws limit stronger drinks and late opening, so the evenings end early there too.

This is the main strength of both cities, but the landscapes are very different. Flagstaff sits in a huge ponderosa pine forest under the volcanic San Francisco Peaks. Lava flows lie just north of town, the Grand Canyon is about an hour and a half away, and the night skies are dark enough for real stargazing.

The Wasatch rises steeply from the edge of Salt Lake City. Alta, Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude, famous for their dry powder, are less than an hour up the canyons, which makes this the place for serious skiers. To the west there are bison on Antelope Island and the white expanse of the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Flagstaff has the far better range of outings. Sedona's red rock and the hillside mining town of Jerome are within easy reach, as are the cliff dwellings at Montezuma Castle, the Sinagua ruins at Walnut Canyon and Wupatki, the historic railway from Williams to the Grand Canyon and the ancient Hopi villages on their mesas.

From Salt Lake City, Park City's Victorian Main Street is the obvious outing, and Midway, Ogden's 25th Street and the Golden Spike site follow. After those the choice runs out, because Utah's famous national parks are too far away to visit in a day.

Salt Lake City is the easier place to bring children. Restaurants and public spaces expect large families, and there are many attractions aimed at children: Hogle Zoo, the aquarium, Discovery Gateway, Tracy Aviary, the roller coasters at Lagoon and resort ski schools in winter.

Flagstaff suits curious children well enough, with telescope evenings at the observatory, snow play on the mountain and the steam-era train to the Grand Canyon. The altitude, cold nights and long drives between outings make it harder work with small children.

Salt Lake City is easier to manage without a car, at least for a while. TRAX light rail runs from the airport into downtown and on to the University, and the FrontRunner commuter train reaches Ogden and Provo, although the huge blocks make walking slow going.

In Flagstaff you can easily walk around the downtown and the Southside, but buses are of little use beyond town. The Grand Canyon, Sedona and the national monuments all need a car or a tour. You will want a car for the mountains around either city.

Salt Lake City has more choice. City Creek Center and Trolley Square cover the familiar brands, independent and vintage shops cluster around 9th and 9th and Sugar House, and the local ski and climbing outfitters are excellent.

Flagstaff's shopping is small-scale, but it has one real draw: Native American craft. Navajo rugs, Hopi kachina carvings, pottery and turquoise jewellery are sold in its galleries and trading posts, and it is worth buying from established dealers.

Both are moderately priced by American standards. Neither is cheap for international visitors, and both need a hire car and add a tip to every bill. What differs is when costs rise. Flagstaff's chain motels are good value, but rooms climb on summer weekends and in school breaks, when the town fills with Grand Canyon visitors, and park entry fees add up.

In Salt Lake City, Temple Square costs nothing and light rail is inexpensive, but a winter ski week is expensive because of lift tickets and lodging in the canyons. A summer trip there costs much less.

Salt Lake City is well ahead here. Hearing the Tabernacle Choir rehearse or broadcast under the great organ is a real highlight, and the daily organ recitals, the Utah Symphony, Utah Opera, Ballet West and touring Broadway shows at the Eccles Theater give the city a full evening calendar.

Flagstaff offers a symphony and university concerts, folk and indie acts at the restored Orpheum and summer music in the pines. They are pleasant evenings, but you would not plan a trip around them.

Salt Lake City has a slight edge because of the region's warm springs. You can soak in mineral water inside the limestone dome of the Homestead Crater in Midway, or book a spa at the resorts and in Park City after a day of skiing.

Flagstaff has no hot springs and only a few spas, and people who want treatments drive down to Sedona. Its calm comes from cool pine-scented evenings and bright stars instead. The altitude can disturb sleep for the first night or two, in Salt Lake City's higher resorts as well.