Huntington Beach or Salt Lake City?

Huntington Beach is built along its beach: some 14km of flat, wide sand, with surfers at dawn, volleyball nets, a beachfront path and fire rings for bonfires after sunset. The drawbacks are a cool Pacific for much of the year and strong surf with rip currents, so swimmers stay near the lifeguard towers.

Salt Lake City has nothing like it. Floating in the Great Salt Lake is a novelty you try once, on a muddy shore with brine flies. Real swimming means driving up to Wasatch reservoirs such as Jordanelle or Pineview, which are pleasant on a hot July day but rarely the reason to come.

Neither city is a food destination, but Huntington Beach comes out a little ahead. Its own fare is casual coastal eating, such as fish tacos by the pier and brewpubs with ocean views, and Little Saigon, one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside Vietnam, is a short drive inland for pho and banh mi.

Salt Lake City's food is more of a curiosity: fry sauce, fried scones with honey butter and drive-through 'dirty' sodas. Its best cooking is Mexican, Pacific Islander, Peruvian and Vietnamese along State Street. Utah's drinking rules also make wine and cocktails thinner than on the California coast.

Salt Lake City has far more to see. Temple Square, laid out by the pioneers in 1847, holds the granite temple, the domed Tabernacle and Brigham Young's Beehive House, and the State Capitol, the painted Cathedral of the Madeleine and the Natural History Museum fill a second day.

Huntington Beach's sightseeing is surf culture and little else: the pier, the International Surfing Museum and the handprints of the Surfers' Hall of Fame. For heritage, its visitors drive to Los Angeles or the mission towns.

Neither city stays up late, but Huntington Beach has more of a buzz. On summer weekends Main Street's sports bars and rooftop decks fill with a young, loud local crowd until the 2am close, though weeknights are quiet and it is all one strip.

Salt Lake City's evenings are quieter still. Utah's liquor laws limit stronger drinks and late hours. There are breweries in the Granary District, pubs in Sugar House and a long-standing gay bar scene, which are good for a drink after a mountain day but not for a night out.

This is where Salt Lake City pulls far ahead. The Wasatch peaks rise to over 3,000m straight from the edge of town, the Cottonwood Canyons lead to world-famous ski powder in winter and to wildflower meadows and serious hikes in summer, and foothill trails start above the Avenues. To the west there are bison on Antelope Island and the white Bonneville Salt Flats.

Huntington Beach's outdoors is the ocean: consistent surf breaks, paddling in the harbour channels and fine birding at the Bolsa Chica wetland. Beyond that, the land is flat suburb until you reach the canyons of Crystal Cove.

Huntington Beach makes the far better base for exploring. Los Angeles is about an hour away, Laguna Beach and Mission San Juan Capistrano are closer still, ferries cross to Catalina Island, and San Diego and the Temecula wine country work as longer days out.

Salt Lake City's list is short: the Victorian Main Street of Park City, Midway's Swiss-style village and Ogden's railroad-era 25th Street. Arches, Zion and Bryce are too far for a day and need an overnight trip.

Both cities welcome children, but Huntington Beach has the edge for a vacation. Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm are close, the Long Beach aquarium makes an easy morning, and the beach and the pelicans at Bolsa Chica fill the gaps. The surf suits boogie boarding more than toddlers.

Salt Lake City is built around large families and feels safe and easygoing. Its attractions are smaller in scale: Hogle Zoo, the planetarium, the Discovery Gateway children's museum, Lagoon's roller coasters and ski schools in winter. In both places nearly every outing means a car.

Salt Lake City is easier without a car. TRAX light rail runs from the airport through downtown to the University, FrontRunner trains reach Ogden and Provo, and Temple Square and the Capitol are within a walkable core, though the wide grid makes blocks feel long. Ski buses run up the canyons in winter.

In Huntington Beach you can only walk the pier and Main Street, and the beach path is best by bike. Everything else, from the theme parks to Little Saigon, means freeway driving, with no rail and slow buses.

The real divide is surf style against mountain kit, and Huntington Beach comes out slightly ahead. The surf shops and board makers around Main Street and the pier sell its most characteristic souvenir, a local board or surf-brand clothing. South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, one of the country's largest luxury malls, is about twenty minutes away.

Salt Lake City's shopping is practical: the department stores of City Creek Center, with a creek running through it, the old streetcar barns of Trolley Square and the vintage shops around 9th and 9th. Where it excels is outdoor equipment, with excellent local ski, climbing and camping shops.

Salt Lake City is easier on the budget. Downtown hotels are reasonable, light rail is cheap and everything on Temple Square is free. The costs climb with ski lift tickets and canyon lodging, so a summer hiking trip costs much less than a winter ski week.

Huntington Beach is an expensive stretch of coast, with high beachfront hotel rates, a near-essential hire car and summer parking. Savings come from inland motels and the Vietnamese and Mexican kitchens of the wider county.

Salt Lake City has the stronger stage life by a distance. You can hear the Tabernacle Choir rehearse and broadcast under the great organ, which also gives daily recitals, and the Utah Symphony, Utah Opera, Ballet West and touring Broadway shows at the Eccles Theater fill the season.

Huntington Beach itself offers cover bands, summer park concerts and community theatre. For anything serious you drive to the Segerstrom Center and South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, or about an hour to Los Angeles.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, and both are restful in different ways. Huntington Beach's calm comes from the coast, with yoga on the sand, sunset walks on the pier and evenings around a beach fire. Its spas are in the resort hotels.

Salt Lake City has geothermal water nearby. The best is the Homestead Crater in Midway, where you soak inside a limestone dome, and the ski resort spas make the most sense after a day on the slopes.