Sedona or Telluride?

Neither is a place for a swimming vacation, but Sedona at least has somewhere to cool off. Oak Creek runs right past town, and the sandstone chute at Slide Rock and the deeper pools at Grasshopper Point make a cold, fun break after a hot hike.

In Telluride the nearest real swimming is at a reservoir near Ridgway, about an hour away. Summer water time there means rafting, paddling or fly fishing rather than a dip.

The two eat at a similar level, and both run out of variety within a week. Sedona's appeal is the setting: sunset terraces facing the buttes, Southwestern cooking with chilli and corn, plenty for vegetarians and the Verde Valley tasting rooms just down the road.

Telluride has ski-resort money behind it. A few serious kitchens on Colorado Avenue and in Mountain Village cook Colorado lamb, elk and trout, with craft beer and deeper wine lists. At peak times a table can be hard to get.

Neither has many sights, and what they have comes from very different histories. Sedona's draws are the 1956 Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into a butte, and the Sinagua cliff dwellings and petroglyphs out in the backcountry, plus galleries of Western and Native American art.

Telluride's sight is the town itself: an almost intact mining-boom grid, protected as a National Historic Landmark, with the old miners' hospital museum, the Sheridan Opera House and mill ruins on the canyon walls.

Telluride has the livelier evenings. Its historic saloons and après-ski bars fill with skiers and seasonal workers, and in peak winter weeks and on summer festival weekends the main street stays busy late, although there are no clubs.

Sedona goes to bed early, because everyone is up for the dawn trailhead. A brewpub or wine bar in Uptown suits a drink after dinner, and the clear night sky is the real entertainment.

Both are among the most spectacular landscapes in the American West, but they look and feel completely different. Sedona is red-rock desert, with trails to Cathedral Rock, Devil's Bridge and Boynton Canyon, slickrock mountain biking and the Grand Canyon about two hours away. Spring and autumn are its prime seasons.

Telluride is high alpine country, with peaks above 4,000m, Bridal Veil Falls, high basins and lakes, a via ferrata and four-wheel-drive passes. It also has skiing in winter. Expect a day or two to adjust to the altitude.

Sedona has far more within easy reach. Jerome's hillside mining streets, the cliff dwelling at Montezuma Castle, the Tuzigoot pueblo, the Verde Canyon Railroad and Flagstaff are all within an hour or so on easy roads.

From Telluride, the outings are long drives over mountain passes. Ouray and Silverton are handsome Victorian mining towns, but Mesa Verde, the one major heritage site, sits at the very limit of a day trip, and winter weather can close the roads.

Both suit active families and neither has zoos or theme parks, so the choice comes down to season. Sedona's draws for children are Slide Rock in summer, short trails around Bell Rock and open-air jeep tours. The summer heat and exposed paths call for care, and every outing means a drive.

Telluride gives children a free gondola ride, a good ski school with gentle slopes, and riverside walks in summer. The high altitude can disturb young children's sleep for the first few nights.

Telluride is much easier once you are there. You can cross the historic grid on foot in a quarter of an hour, and the free gondola and buses link it to Mountain Village, so many visitors never use a car. The difficult part is arriving, through a small airport often hit by weather or a long drive.

Sedona is the reverse. Phoenix is a straightforward two-hour drive, but the town is spread along two highways, and trailheads, the chapel and day trips all need a car. On busy weekends there are traffic queues and full trailhead car parks.

Sedona has the more distinctive shopping. The courtyards of Tlaquepaque hold galleries and craft studios, the main road sells Native American jewellery, pottery and rugs, and the crystal and metaphysical shops are a Sedona speciality.

Telluride's few blocks of Colorado Avenue offer galleries, Western clothing, bookshops and ski gear. They are good for browsing but have no craft tradition behind them.

Neither is cheap, but Sedona is easier on the wallet. Most trails need only a parking pass, and staying in Cottonwood or Flagstaff cuts the cost of rooms considerably.

Telluride is priced for second-home owners, with scarce rooms and expensive lift tickets, ski hire and meals, and Christmas weeks and festival weekends cost even more. The free gondola helps a little, and sleeping in Ridgway means a daily drive.

Telluride is the clear choice for live music, at least in summer. The Bluegrass Festival in Town Park, under the canyon walls, is famous in its genre, jazz, blues and chamber music festivals follow, the film festival comes on Labor Day weekend, and the Sheridan Opera House hosts shows year-round.

Sedona's calendar is thinner: a long-running film festival in late winter, occasional chamber concerts and Native American flute music in the resorts.

Sedona is one of America's best-known retreat towns. It has destination spas facing the canyons, yoga, breathwork and alternative therapies on every side, and the sunrise walks to the vortexes. What it lacks is natural hot water.

Telluride has that, though not in town. The hot springs at Ouray and near Ridgway are an hour away, for a soak with mountain views, and Mountain Village spas ease tired legs after skiing. Beyond that it has no real retreat scene.