Sedona or Taos?

Neither town is a place for a beach, but Sedona at least gives you somewhere to swim. Oak Creek runs over the sandstone chute at Slide Rock and pools at Grasshopper Point and Red Rock Crossing, all cold and good for cooling off after a summer hike.

Taos has nothing comparable. The Rio Grande in its gorge is for rafting, the mountain lakes are too cold, and a dip means a hotel pool or one of the hot springs.

The two are roughly level, but the cooking is quite different. Sedona eats on resort terraces facing the red rocks, with Southwestern menus, plenty for vegetarians and the health-minded, and the Verde Valley tasting rooms close by for wine.

Taos has a stronger regional identity: northern New Mexican food built around red and green chile, served in old family places near the plaza and towards Ranchos, plus horno bread from the Pueblo. Go to Sedona for a view with dinner and to Taos for posole and carne adovada.

Here Taos is far ahead. Taos Pueblo, its adobe houses lived in for about a thousand years, is one of the most remarkable places in the United States. Add the buttressed church at Ranchos de Taos and the small museums of the art colony, from the Harwood to the Millicent Rogers, and you have two or three full days.

Sedona's culture is mostly its scenery. The Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into the rock, is the one landmark, alongside a heritage museum and many galleries. The Sinagua cliff dwellings at Palatki and Honanki are the more memorable outing.

Both towns are quiet after dark and keep early hours. Sedona's evenings mean a brewpub, wine bar or resort lounge in Uptown, then the stars over the canyon. In Taos you are more likely to find a saloon with a live band or a margarita in an old adobe hotel bar, and in winter there is an après-ski crowd up at the ski valley.

Both are superb, but Sedona has the edge because the scenery begins at the edge of town. Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, Devil's Bridge and Boynton Canyon are all minutes away, the slickrock singletrack draws mountain bikers, and Oak Creek Canyon and the Grand Canyon are within reach.

Taos is wilder and higher. It has serious skiing, the climb up Wheeler Peak at 4,013m, alpine lakes, and whitewater in the Rio Grande gorge. The altitude takes a day or two to get used to, but anyone wanting snow, mountains or rafting will find more of it here.

Taos has the stronger day trips, mainly because a real city is in range. Santa Fe, with its plaza, galleries and O'Keeffe museum, is reached along the High Road through Truchas, Las Trampas and Chimayó. O'Keeffe country at Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch is another strong pull.

Sedona's outings are good but smaller. You can visit Jerome on its mountainside, ride the Verde Canyon Railroad, or see Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot, with Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon further north. A few days cover most of it.

Families fare about the same in both, and in both the appeal lies outdoors rather than in attractions built for children. Sedona works best in summer, with Slide Rock, jeep tours over the slickrock and short trails, though the heat calls for care.

Taos shines in winter with its ski school. In summer it has gentle float trips, horse riding and a recreation centre pool, but the altitude can tire young children at first.

You need a car in either town. In Sedona the routes funnel through the junction known as the Y, a shuttle reaches only some trailheads, and weekend traffic and full trail car parks are the main frustrations. You drive up from Phoenix, about two hours away.

Taos is more spread out across its valley, with a basic bus and a walkable core around the plaza. It is also a longer drive from the airport, about two and a half hours from Albuquerque.

Taos edges ahead for anyone who buys craft. Turquoise and silver, micaceous pottery, Rio Grande weaving and carved santos are local traditions, and you can buy directly from makers at the Pueblo.

Sedona's offer is more varied in mood than in depth. There are courtyard galleries at Tlaquepaque, Western painting and Native jewellery along the main road, and a large crop of crystal and metaphysical shops that Taos cannot match. Neither town has fashion shopping.

Taos is clearly the easier town on the wallet. It has simple motels and casual diners at fair prices, and resort rates apply mainly at the historic inns and in ski season. Spring and late autumn are the cheapest times.

Sedona is expensive almost throughout, with resort and boutique lodging, resort-town restaurants, and jeep tours, balloon flights and spa bookings on top. Free trails help, but many budget travellers sleep in Cottonwood or Flagstaff and drive in.

Taos offers more worth attending, and some of it is unique. The traditional dances at Taos Pueblo on feast days such as San Gerónimo in late September may be watched under strict rules. There is also a summer chamber music festival, and a community arts centre programmes theatre and film.

Sedona's calendar is thinner. Its long-running film festival in late winter is the main event, alongside occasional chamber concerts and Native American flute played at resorts.

Sedona is the stronger retreat town by some way. Destination spas sit against the canyons, and yoga, meditation, breathwork and alternative therapies fill the town, with sunrise walks to the vortexes as a local ritual.

Taos is more modest but has the one thing Sedona lacks, natural hot water. You can soak in the mineral pools at Ojo Caliente or walk down to the primitive springs beside the Rio Grande, and the silence of the plateau does the rest.