What's your budget?

Would like to keep it around 3-4k max

Without knowing much about you or your terrain, it's tough to say. If you want full suspension, there are tons of options in your price range. I'd look at the Giant Trance first. The Trance is an awesome bike for the money and you can get a very nice build for your budget. If you're willing to go direct sales, the base Fezzari La Sal Peak can be had for ~$3,600 and is an amazing deal on a very highly rated bike.

I'm in the same area. I've found that a hardtail 29er is my preference. A full suspension is great as well; I just like the simplicity of a hardtail, lighter and don't get preoccupied with the rear shock pressure. You may find that a full suspension is what you prefer (for a lot of riders, this is the preference); can be a lot safer to have the handling of a full suspension. Especially if you are older (i.e. not a "spring chicken") and newer to MTB, the full suspension may be the best avenue.

Typical local ride is Westridge Fire Rd., Sullivan Canyon, Paseo Miramar. Travel a little bit and get to Sycamore Canyon (near Pt. Mugu), really really nice area to ride.

Welcome to MTB.

Specialized Stumpjumper. It’s a great all around mountain bike and one of the most popular, which will make it easier to sell when the time comes.

You can also switch it from 29er to 27.5.

When I first got into MTB I got a 100mm hardtail and, in retrospect, wish I'd just bought a full suspension "trail" bike right away. "Trail" bikes generally have front suspensions in the 120-140mm range and rear suspension in the 120-130mm range.

One thing to keep in mind when mountain bike shopping is that geometry matters. It really matters. And there are tradeoffs. A "longer" bike with a slacker head tube angle is going to be more stable on fast descents or over rocky/rooty/technical sections. However it will be a royal pain in tight sections with switchbacks. That's just an inherent tradeoff.

If you think you want to bomb fast, rocky descents then I'd say get something like the Fezzari La Sal Peak. https://www.fezzari.com/lasal
If that's not your interest and you want something more "all around" and possibly better suited to smoother, faster single track I'd look at the Fezzari Signal Peak. https://www.fezzari.com/signalpeak

Personally I ended up buying a Trek Fuel Ex 9.9 because I got an incredible deal on it but if it weren't for the discount I definitely would have gone with the Fezzari. I demoed their bikes out at Sedona this year and had a very favorable impression of the company and the bikes. Giant is a great option too.

One thing I'd definitely advise is to wait a month or two for Shimano's 12-speed SLX drivetrain to trickle into bikes at your price point. Sram 1x12 is a solid setup but, IMO, the ergonomics and shifting of Shimano is superior. Hyperglide+ is not a gimmick and I'm very excited for when Shimano brings it over to their road groups. It's basically impossible to bodge a shift. It doesn't care if you're putting down major power going up a hill, the shift is still smooth and there's no "bang - clunk" from the shift. It's just smooth and flawless every time.

Also, definitely demo bikes where you ride before you buy. My $0.02, unless you *know* you'll only be riding smooth, non-technical single track, full suspension, 1x, and a dropper are pretty much the only way to go.

I agree with everyone pointing you towards a slacker headtube (68ish deg) and mid travel. Every trail bike in that price range should have a dropper post.

I race a bike like that in 3hr XC and take it off drops at the local downhill course. I do wish it had a rear suspension lockout for climbing but my fitness is probably a bigger limiter!

Really depends on what you want to do. I ride a 160mm travel front and back enduro rig. I don’t race and love to full tech and big hits / drops but like anything else it a progression to get there. I would recommend an all mountain/ trail bike with 130/140 mm of travel front and back with a slightly slacker head angle. At this point you probably don’t need that much travel but it will make you more confident descending. Strongly agree with the dropper post comment. I would look for a 1x drivetrain. I think 12 is awesome but 11 is more than enough and you can probably get a better deal. Some folks are Shimano and some are SRAM and trash the other. My 2 cents is I prefer Shimano but I have had SRAM and there is nothing wrong with it ....go with a good deal. I would look for a shop where you can demo a few different bikes and see the difference. Internet may be cheaper but you can’t demo it.

Once you MTB if you have trails close you will ride road way less....some much fun! Another thing that is way underaged is taking a weekend course. This will improve your skills dramatically in way less time.

I'm by the San Gabriel mountains and recently replaced my old Trek Fuel for a Canyon Exceed CL SL 8.0 Pro - https://www.canyon.com/...ountry-bikes/exceed/ . I went with the hardtail because my usual rides are long climbs and descends, but not much rollers, and I don't want the rear suspension when going uphill. And most of the trails don't really need full suspension when descending as long as you have a good front suspension, get it nicely dialed in, get good tires, go tubeless and find a good tire pressure. My Canyon Exceed hardtail has now been a much faster bike both up and down the trails. I haven't gotten a dropper post yet but I'll probably get one soon. I ride a Canyon Aeroad for bike racing and loved it so much I automatically went with Canyon for my new MTB without having considered anything else. And the Exceed has been amazing.

MTB is awesome, it is such a nice change of scenery and change of pace. It gives me a mental break from always focussing on potential road hazards and powermeter numbers to just riding bikes for the pure love of riding bikes.

Whatever you look at, I recommend a 1x drivetrain and a dropper seat post. Worth it.

Can easily get those for 3-4K range. Aluminum frame fine in my opinion. No need for Carbon.

you live in a dry climate so you get off easier, but bear in mind any rear suspension will mean additional expense for a yearly shock rebuild and periodic bushing replacement. The bushings you can do yourself with a special tool, the shocks have gotten so complicated it's better to send them out for service, along with the fork.

If you don't need rear suspension for the type of riding you plan to do, why bother? It adds weight and cost. For $3k you can get a very nice 23 pound hard tail or a 30 pound entry level aluminum FS bike.

I just ordered a 2020 Juliana Furtado - the women's-specific version of the Santa Cruz 5010 - after demo'ing one for a week and absolutely loving it.

Personally I went with the entry-level aluminum build, because I will likely never come close to the bike's limits and don't yet know what (if anything) I might want to upgrade in the future.

Things that were important to me:
1) I am waiting for the 2020 over taking the 2019 off the floor because I get 12-speed SX Eagle, and I really, really wanted that 50T cog on the cassette.
2) I'll be adding a dropper before she comes home. Never had one before the demo and I never want to be without one.
3) I love the confidence the wider tire (2.6") gave me when things got sketchy. Plus, she rolls over everything like nobody's business.

I live in Maine, so my local riding is rocky, rooty, wet, muddy.... I think different than yours! If you can get out and do demo days, I would strongly recommend it.

Hands down the best advice here. A dropper post can make a $1k bike feel like a $3k bike. And there is just no reason for 2x/3x anymore, 1x gearing with a 50t cassette is awesome

I'm in my second season of mountain biking. My favorite outdoor activity by far.

I wanted to race Xterra and ride primarily cross-country (XC) but also go down technical trails and moderately challenging downhill trails.

A lot of people recommend hardtails for power-transfer, but with the lockout suspensions available these days, I recommend full-suspension so you can, in my opinion, get the most out of the sport. Especially since you have the budget for it.

Knowing that Cervelo rules Kona, I looked at the Cape Epic, and Specialized was far and the way the top brand. I also had a great local dealer and have had a good experience with their customer service (plus I like how they've invested in triathlon). So I got a Specialized Camber Comp 29 and am thrilled with it. I added in a Highline Dropper Post for $300 and for me the dropper is an essential piece of gear for your mountain bike.

So anyway I would personally get a full suspension 29er after test riding a few.

Santa Cruz seems to be the most popular brand, but a more local brand in Utah (Fezzari) is popular here too.

Go get some!

---

-------
http://www.y-rocket.blogspot.com/

Why don't you look at Ibis, Intense, and Santa Cruz? As you get into MTB more, you'll see that lots of brands seem to have cues that maximize where the owners/employees ride.

Evil, Transition, and Kona are all from PNW...and you'll notice similarities among them.

Canfield and Knolly are from BIG mtns in Canada...and they're similar in design and purpose.

The three I listed are all great bikes for anywhere...but I wouldn't be surprised if they shine just a little brighter out where you live. And...you can go straight to the people who own (if not mfg) if you want to test or need assistance after you buy.

You can prolly find NOS Ibis Ripley LS in the price range. Fantastic bike...if it fits.

Great...now you folks have me shopping for dropper posts. Haha!!

Oh....OP, I vote full suspension, 27.5 (650b), 1x...and a dropper post. :-)

---

You will never, in your life, have a chance like this again.
If I were you, I would not pass this up. I would not let this go by...this is rare.
Come on...what harm??