Page, Arizona or Sedona?

Page has real swimming. By midsummer Lake Powell is warm, Lone Rock has sand you can drive down to, and the best days are spent jumping off sandstone into deep water from a boat or kayak. There are no lifeguards, though, and the shoreline shifts with the lake level.

Sedona's water is Oak Creek: the slick chute at Slide Rock and the deeper holes at Grasshopper Point and Red Rock Crossing. These spots are cold and small and fill up on hot weekends. They are good for cooling off after a hike, not for a day by the water.

Neither town travels well on its stomach, but Sedona gives you more to look forward to. It has Southwestern menus, terrace tables facing the red rocks at sunset, plenty for vegetarians, and the Verde Valley tasting rooms just down the road.

Page cooks for tour groups and road-trippers: diners, barbecue, Mexican and chains, all closing early. The one dish worth seeking out is the Navajo taco on frybread, sold at casual spots and roadside stands on the reservation.

Neither is a place to come for sights, and what each offers is different in kind. Page's landmarks are engineering and exploration: the Glen Canyon Dam with its visitor centre and arch bridge, and a small museum devoted to John Wesley Powell. Sedona has the Chapel of the Holy Cross set into a butte, many Western art galleries and Sinagua cliff dwellings and petroglyphs a short drive away. Around Page, the deeper culture belongs to the Navajo Nation rather than the town.

Both towns go quiet early because their visitors are on the trail or at the canyon by dawn. Page has a few plain bars and a brewpub. Sedona leans more polished, with wine bars and resort lounges in Uptown that suit one drink after dinner. In either place, the best evening is looking up at a very dark, starry sky.

These are two of the great landscapes of the Southwest, and they are explored in different ways. Around Page the drama is water and slot canyons: Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon with Navajo guides, Lake Powell by boat out to Rainbow Bridge, rafting from Lees Ferry, and the Vermilion Cliffs and the Wave further out. The fierce summer is spent on the lake.

Sedona is a hiker's and mountain biker's town. Trails lead straight to Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and Devil's Bridge, slickrock singletrack runs between the buttes, and Oak Creek Canyon climbs into cool pine forest. The Grand Canyon's South Rim is a drive of about two hours.

From Page the outings are few and far apart. Lees Ferry's pioneer buildings and Lonely Dell Ranch make an easy half day, and the Betatakin cliff dwellings at Navajo National Monument are about two hours away. Kanab is a small Western town just across the Utah line, and Pipe Spring's fortified Mormon ranch lies near it on the Arizona side. Beyond those, the drives get long.

Sedona has far more within easy reach. Jerome, the old copper town on its mountainside, is about forty minutes away, the Verde Canyon Railroad runs through a canyon with no road, and Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot are within half an hour. Flagstaff adds a proper old railroad town, with Walnut Canyon and the Wupatki pueblos beyond it.

Families do equally well in either town, and in both the fun is outdoors. In Page, children get lake beach days at Lone Rock, short Antelope Canyon tours and motel pools, but the cliff edges at Horseshoe Bend are sheer and unfenced. In Sedona the hits are Slide Rock and jeep rides over the slickrock, though many hotels are aimed at couples and spa guests. Neither has a zoo or a theme park.

You need a car in both, but Sedona is a little easier. Uptown can be walked, a shuttle serves some busy trailheads and Phoenix airport is about two hours away. On busy weekends, though, traffic backs up and trailhead parking fills early.

Page is more remote. It has no useful public transport, the sights are spread along open highway and the nearest major airports are hours off. Almost everyone arrives on a road trip.

Sedona is the one to browse in. Tlaquepaque's courtyards hold galleries and craft studios, and the main road is lined with more galleries selling Western painting and Native American jewellery. There are also the crystal and metaphysical shops the town is known for.

Page has one real draw. You can buy Navajo silver, turquoise, rugs and pottery at trading posts and roadside stalls, often straight from the maker. Otherwise it is boating supplies and groceries for the cooler.

Page is the cheaper stay, though it is not a bargain. Antelope Canyon can only be seen on paid tours and boat hire is expensive, but camping at Lone Rock or Wahweap and winter visits keep costs down.

Sedona is resort-priced throughout, from boutique lodges to restaurants, jeep tours and balloon flights. The trails cost little beyond a parking pass, and many budget travellers sleep in Cottonwood or Flagstaff instead.

Page has almost nothing on stage. You might see Navajo dance at a dinner show put on for visitors, or a local band in a bar, and that is about all.

Sedona's small calendar goes further. It has chamber concerts, local theatre, the long-running Sedona International Film Festival in late winter and Native American flute players at some resorts. That still isn't enough to plan a trip around, and anyone wanting a concert hall drives to Flagstaff or Phoenix.

This is where Sedona pulls far ahead. It is a retreat town, with destination spas facing the canyons, yoga, meditation and massage on every side, and quiet sunrise walks to the vortexes. What it lacks is hot springs.

Page offers only hotel pools and the stillness of the desert at night. A stay there means early starts and long drives, so you come for active days, not to slow down.