Page, Arizona or Vail?

Page has a real summer swimming scene on Lake Powell. There is open sand at Lone Rock and there are coves around Wahweap, and the best swimming is from boats or kayaks, jumping off sandstone into deep water. There are no lifeguards and the shoreline moves with the lake level, but on a hot afternoon the lake is a big draw.

Vail has nothing like it. The nearby mountain lakes and reservoirs are fine for paddling and sunbathing, but the water stays cold even in July.

Page cooks for road-trippers and tour groups, with diners, barbecue, Mexican food and the chains. Its one dish worth seeking out is the Navajo taco on frybread, best bought at roadside stands on the reservation.

Neither town is a food destination, but Vail eats better. The restaurants in Vail Village and Lionshead serve steak and game, fondue and sushi, with Colorado lamb, elk and trout on the menus and long wine lists to go with them. There is very little that is cheap, though, and many kitchens close in the off-seasons.

Both towns were built in the mid-twentieth century and have little to see indoors, so neither suits a culture trip. Page's interest is engineering and exploration: the Glen Canyon Dam and its visitor centre, and the museum devoted to John Wesley Powell. The Navajo Nation around the town gives the area a much older history.

Vail tells the story of skiing itself. The Colorado Snowsports Museum covers it, along with the wartime Tenth Mountain Division, and it sits in a mock-Tyrolean village built for the slopes.

Page closes early. It has a few bars and a brewpub, and many visitors are asleep well before the dawn canyon tours. The best evening there is under the dark, star-filled desert sky.

Vail at least has a night out. Après-ski fills the terraces and slopeside bars as the lifts close, and on winter weekends a few bars and a small club stay open past midnight. Summer evenings are calmer, and in the off-seasons the town is close to empty after dinner.

Both are outstanding bases for the outdoors, but the landscapes are opposites. Page is red-rock desert and water: Horseshoe Bend, the slot canyons at Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell's flooded canyons with Rainbow Bridge, and rafting from Lees Ferry, with the Wave and the Vermilion Cliffs within reach.

Vail is high alpine country. In winter it has a huge ski area. In summer gondolas take you up to the trails, and there is wilderness hiking among peaks above 4,000m, fly fishing and golden aspens in autumn. Hiking around Page is best in spring and autumn, while Vail's season runs from early summer into September.

Around Page the scenery is grand but there are few towns. Lees Ferry's pioneer buildings, the cliff dwellings at Navajo National Monument and Kanab's film-set past all make good outings, but the drives are long.

Vail has more places within reach, mostly other mountain towns. There is Victorian Breckenridge, the old silver-boom streets of Leadville, the smaller Beaver Creek, and Glenwood Springs about an hour away. Aspen and Denver are each around two hours' drive.

Page suits families who love the outdoors. Children enjoy a day on the lake and the short Antelope Canyon tours. But nothing is built for children, the summer sun is harsh, and the unfenced cliff edges at Horseshoe Bend need close watching.

Vail is easier with children, especially if they ski. It has large ski schools, gentle learning areas and a car-free village. In summer the top of the gondola has ropes courses, a mountain coaster and tubing. The altitude can tire small children for the first day or two.

Page needs a car for everything beyond the motel strip. Horseshoe Bend, the marinas and the parks all lie outside town, and the major airports are hours away.

Vail is the opposite once you have arrived. The village is pedestrian, the lifts start in town and a free bus runs along the valley, so many visitors spend a week without driving. Getting there is the harder part, as there is no rail and the pass can close in heavy snow.

Page's shops are mostly for supplies and souvenirs. Its one strength is Native American craft: Navajo silver and turquoise jewellery, rugs and pottery, bought at trading posts or from the makers at roadside stalls. Vail has nothing like it.

Overall, though, Vail has more to shop for, even if the choice is narrow and expensive. The lanes of Vail Village and Lionshead are lined with ski and outdoor clothing, jewellery, Western boots and hats, and galleries selling mountain paintings.

Page is the cheaper of the two, but it is not cheap. Guided canyon tours and boat hire are expensive, and rooms are scarce in the busy months. Camping by the lake or coming in winter brings the bill down.

Vail is among the most expensive places for a vacation in North America. Lodging, lift tickets, ski school and meals all cost well above normal American levels. Summer rates and staying further down the valley help only a little.

Page has no theatre or concert venue. There is the odd local band, and some evenings bring Navajo dance presentations put on for visitors.

Vail has a serious summer programme. The Bravo! Vail festival brings orchestras for weeks of concerts at the open-air Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, and there is the Vail Dance Festival and a jazz festival in late summer. In winter it is mostly après-ski bands.

Page has motel pools and quiet desert evenings, but with early starts and long drives the days are busy. The rest comes from the wide views and the dark night sky rather than from any spa.

Vail is the better place to unwind. Its hotel spas have massage, outdoor hot tubs under the peaks and saunas for after a day on the slopes. Glenwood Springs, with its mineral pools and vapour caves, is about an hour away.