I am looking to purchase a new mountain bike for general recreation, but will probably ride on or around trails in San Diego. Any advice or tips on certain brands or style?
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If you are mostly trail riding, then full suspension is very preferable for the San Diego area. I rode a hardtail with a suspension seatpost for three years in San Diego, and my body took quite a beating. Don’t listen to the technology haters that may tell you that full suspension is too heavy or too expensive, that’s just not the case any more.
If you’re mostly riding the boardwalk or commuting, but only riding trails occasionally (less than once a week), then a hardtail is fine. If you are less than 170lbs. (male) or 145lbs. (female), then stick with a steel or titanium frame. Maybe even a suspension seatpost.
Cost is a major consideration; your choices hinge completely on the money factor. Everyone has their own opinion of the "best" brands. I prefer Jamis, Trek, Kona, and Rocky Mountain, but that’s just my opinion. By far, the most important thing is to stay far away from any bike brand that you find at a department store (Wal-Mart, Target, even Sport Chalet). These people don’t know jack about bikes. Stick to your local bike shop.
If you mainly want to ride trails you should look at a mountain hybrid or a comfort/pathway type bike. They are liter then a mountain bike and have a more comfortable upright position. A hybrid will have tires that are good on the road and paved or dirt pathways. Check out Trek, Specalized, Giant, Raleigh, Fuji, and a few others.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bike_path/navigator/navigator20/
It depends on your budget. If you can spend $1500-$1700 try to find a Cannondale Rush 5Z. It is a great bargain. I have a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR which is great, but pricey. Those are my 2 favorite brands currently unless you can spend a lot of money. Giant and Trek are also good.
If you plan to ride mostly on paved trails, but will ride off-road from time to time, then a mountain bike is preferred over a hybrid. Hybrids cannot take the pounding of even gentle off-roading, while a mountain bike can be adapted to trail riding.
Before I bought a road bike this year, I rode my Trek and then Gary Fisher mountain bike for thousands of miles/year on trails/roads. On my Trek, I used Bontrager Comfort B 26×1.95" tires; a smoother center tread with some knobs on the shoulders(outside edges) which are a good compromise if you dont ride like a madman off-road. On my next mountain bike (GF), I bought two sets of wheels; one with knobbies for off-road(26×2.1"), and one with slicks for the pavement(26×1.5"). It takes only a few minutes to change wheels and that system worked great for me.