Mammoth Lakes or Scottsdale?

Neither city is anywhere near the sea, but Mammoth Lakes has the edge for swimming in natural water. In July and August, Horseshoe Lake and the other lakes just above town make a cold but real dip, and Crowley Lake warms a little more.

Scottsdale's water time is mostly the resort pool. Saguaro and Canyon Lakes, with their small sandy coves, are a drive of up to an hour, and tubing down the Salt River is a summer outing rather than a daily swim.

Scottsdale eats better. It has steakhouses, sushi, long brunches and farmers' markets, and above all Sonoran-style Mexican food, with carne asada, huge flour tortillas and green chile, which gives meals a sense of place. Phoenix's stronger tables are close by.

Mammoth Lakes cooks for people coming off the slopes and trails: big breakfasts, burgers, pizza, tacos and beer brewed in town. It is filling and pleasant, but the range is narrow, and some kitchens scale back in spring and autumn.

Scottsdale has far more to see. Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's desert studio and part of a UNESCO listing, is worth a vacation morning on its own. Add the Museum of the West, a small contemporary art museum, the Heard Museum's Native American collections in Phoenix and the Musical Instrument Museum.

Mammoth Lakes is a modern resort of lodges and condominiums. Its cultural offering is essentially one log-cabin history museum, so anyone curious about the past has to drive out of town.

For a night out, Scottsdale is the only real option of the two. Old Town's few blocks of sports bars, dance clubs and rooftop lounges stay loud until the 2am close on weekends, and the crowd is glossy and party-minded.

In Mammoth Lakes, going out means après-ski in the Village and the brewery taprooms, which can run late on busy ski weekends. Most nights are over well before midnight, because everyone is up early for the mountain.

This is where Mammoth Lakes pulls clearly ahead. Mammoth Mountain gives a long ski season and a summer bike park. The Lakes Basin, the Ansel Adams and John Muir wildernesses, the basalt columns of Devils Postpile, Mono Lake's tufa towers and Tuolumne Meadows over Tioga Pass make an alpine and volcanic landscape that works in every season.

Scottsdale's desert is a real asset too. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is right on the city's edge, and you can climb Camelback Mountain or head out to the Superstition Mountains. But it is one landscape of saguaro and boulder, and from June to September the heat confines hiking to the first hours of the day.

Scottsdale has more good places within reach. Sedona's red rocks, the cliff dwelling at Montezuma Castle, the old mining town of Jerome and Prescott's courthouse square all lie along one route north. Tucson and the San Xavier mission are to the south, and Goldfield makes an easy half-day.

From Mammoth Lakes the highway leads to only a handful of places, spread far apart. The best are the ghost town of Bodie and the Manzanar internment camp site. In winter the Sierra passes close, so most outings from here head into the mountains rather than to other towns.

Both work for families, but in very different ways. Mammoth Lakes is an active vacation: ski school and a tubing hill in winter, then rowing boats, trout fishing and the summit gondola in summer, with self-catering condominiums that make life easier. It has nothing for a snowbound day, and the altitude can tire young children at first.

Scottsdale centres on the resort, with lazy rivers, water slides and kids' clubs. Back-up options include the miniature trains at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, the OdySea Aquarium and the Phoenix Zoo. In summer the midday heat drives everyone indoors or into the water.

Mammoth Lakes is easier without a car, at least for a ski trip. Free winter shuttles link the lodgings with the lift bases, and the gondola rises straight from the Village. In summer a trolley serves the Lakes Basin and a shuttle runs into Reds Meadow, though you still need to drive to see the wider Eastern Sierra.

Scottsdale is built for cars. The light rail does not reach it, and only Old Town is walkable, with a trolley out to the shopping areas. For the airport, trailheads and Phoenix, you will need a car or ride-hailing, though the grid makes driving simple.

Scottsdale is a genuine shopping destination. A luxury mall holds the big fashion houses, and the galleries along Main Street and Marshall Way sell southwestern art. Specialist dealers handle Navajo and Hopi silver, turquoise and Pueblo pottery of real quality.

In Mammoth Lakes, shopping is mostly gear. The ski, climbing and fly-fishing shops are good, and a few galleries sell landscape photography, but there is nothing to browse for pleasure.

Neither is a budget destination, but Scottsdale gives more room to manoeuvre. Motels and business hotels along the main roads and cheap Mexican food across the metro area help, and resort rates fall sharply in the scorching summer.

Mammoth Lakes in ski season is among the costlier vacations you can take, with high prices for lift tickets, rental and lodging, and resort-town prices even in the supermarket. Its saving grace is that summer, its other good season, costs little beyond accommodation, since the lakes and trails are free.

Scottsdale has much more to offer in the evenings. Its Old Town arts centre puts on chamber music, jazz and dance, and the Musical Instrument Museum's theatre hosts world music. Phoenix's symphony, opera and ballet are about half an hour away, and Tempe takes touring Broadway shows.

Mammoth Lakes keeps things small and local. A community theatre stages plays at the college, and in summer there is a jazz festival and chamber concerts in mountain meadows, which are charming but no reason to plan a trip.

Scottsdale is built for pampering. It has an unusual number of large resort spas, many open to day guests, plus yoga and retreats and a slow round of pool, golf and long lunches. The comfort is polished and private.

Mammoth Lakes offers a wilder kind of rest. You can soak in primitive hot springs out in the sagebrush, facing the Sierra, or use a lodge hot tub after skiing. It is restful and memorable, but simple rather than indulgent.