Page, Arizona or Snowbird?

Page wins easily. Lake Powell warms to swimming temperature in summer, Lone Rock Beach has sand you can drive onto, and hiring a boat opens up sandstone coves for jumping into deep water. There are no lifeguards, though, and the shoreline shifts with the lake level.

At Snowbird, swimming means the resort's heated pools. The reservoirs in the Heber Valley are cold, and the Great Salt Lake is a place to look at rather than swim in.

Neither place is somewhere to travel for food, but the meals differ. Page has a roadside strip of diners, barbecue and Mexican places, and one dish worth seeking out, the Navajo taco on frybread.

At Snowbird, nearly every meal is in the resort, from slopeside cafeterias to the dining room at the top of the tram with its mountain views. For variety, you drive forty minutes down the canyon to Salt Lake City.

Page has a little more to see, though neither town is a culture destination. The Glen Canyon Dam and its visitor centre, the small John Wesley Powell museum and the Navajo Nation around the town give it some story. Snowbird has its 1970s concrete lodges and a mining past that has left almost no trace, so any museum visit means driving down to Salt Lake City.

Both towns go quiet early. The difference is in how the evening ends. At Snowbird the best part is après-ski, with skiers filling the lodge bars and a sunny deck at the end of the day.

Page has a brewpub and a few bars. Its best evening, though, is the very dark desert sky away from the town lights. In both places, the early start the next morning sends most people to bed.

Both rank among the great landscapes of the American West, but they could hardly look more different. Page has red rock and water: the glowing slot walls of Antelope Canyon, the river loop at Horseshoe Bend, Rainbow Bridge reached by boat across Lake Powell, and the Wave in the Vermilion Cliffs nearby.

Snowbird is high granite and snow. The tram climbs to about 3,350m, the snowfall is among the deepest on the continent, and in summer the trails lead into wilderness areas and the wildflower meadows of Albion Basin.

Snowbird is better placed for outings to towns and heritage sites. Salt Lake City, with Temple Square and the State Capitol, is under an hour away, and Park City's Victorian Main Street is about an hour.

From Page, the outings are mostly long drives through open country. Lees Ferry, the Betatakin cliff dwellings and the small Western town of Kanab are rewarding, but they are spread far apart.

Both suit active families, but in different seasons. In Page, children love a day splashing at Lone Rock or the short Antelope Canyon tours. However, the summer sun is punishing, the cliff edges are unfenced and the car journeys are long.

Snowbird has a ski school and, in summer, a mountain coaster, an alpine slide and a ropes course on a compact base with no cars. The steep terrain and thin air suit older children better than toddlers.

Snowbird is easier once you are there. Lodges, lifts and the tram are a short walk apart on a car-free base, and ski buses come up from the valley in winter. The catch is the single canyon road, which clogs on powder mornings and is sometimes closed for avalanche control.

In Page you will need your own car for almost everything. The lake, Horseshoe Bend and the parks all lie outside the town, and the nearest major airports are hours away.

Page has the one purchase worth seeking out. That is Navajo silver and turquoise jewellery, rugs and pottery, bought from trading posts or directly from the maker. Snowbird's shops in the base area sell ski gear, goggles and resort-branded clothing, so any real browsing means going to Salt Lake City or Park City.

Page is easier on the wallet, though it is not cheap. Paid canyon tours and boat hire add up, but camping at Lone Rock or visiting in winter cuts costs considerably.

Snowbird is a big Western ski resort, with lift tickets, slopeside rooms and resort meals to match. Staying in Salt Lake City or coming in summer brings the costs down.

Neither place has much live performance. The little there is reflects each place. In Page it means Navajo dance presentations for visitors. At Snowbird it means summer concerts on the plaza and oompah bands at the resort's Oktoberfest. For theatre or the symphony, go down to Salt Lake City.

Snowbird is the better place to unwind, thanks to the large spa on top of its main lodge. It has a rooftop pool, hot tubs and steam rooms, and the mineral crater at Homestead is an hour away. Page has motel pools and quiet desert evenings, but the early tours and long drives keep the days busy.