Saddle for long rail trails, streets and dirt paths I recently purchased a 2014 HardRock Sport Disc. 

I ride on a variety of road surfaces, including pavement, gravel and dirt.

I don't currently have plans to race, do long touring rides, or rough technical trails. 

I am riding mostly for fitness, and doing rides up to 40 miles (65 km)

Specialized has a "Help Me Choose a Saddle" section on the website, but I am not sure how I fit their categories.  

I would consider me Fitness/Recreational, but according to the website that's more people who do short rides. 

Also I would think that road saddles would have more cushion since your sitting on them for long extended periods compared to a mountain saddle when you're standing up off the saddle more, but it seems to be the opposite. 

That is, road saddles tend to have the least cushion.

When I did 25 miles (40 km) on the rail trail I wasn't tired but my toosh was extremely sore during and afterwards. To note I'm using the standard saddle that came with my bike which does not feel cushiony at all to me so I would assume I would want something with more cushion. But the ones with the most cushion seem to be not recommended for roads. 

Gel seems very appealing to me but have heard negatives about that as well.

Can someone recommend what saddle(s) might be best for me? I'm fine with $40 to $100 US Dollars price range (less of course better if possible) and I'm a 26 male 5'9'' (175cm) around 160 pounds (72 kilograms) if that affects the recommendation.

To note the Milano Sport Gel looks like one option. The Targa description looks more like me but without gel it doesn't look like it would be much more comfortable/cushiony than the standard saddle I have now.
The kind of biking you do is exactly the kind of biking I do. I was once a devotee of the Cult of Saddle Cushioning as well.

I was wrong. Painfully, chafingly so. Ow.

You don't want the gel. You don't want lots of cushioning. What you probably do want is springs (saddle suspension) and perhaps something a bit wider in back than your typical Lycra Laddish roadie thing. You may also want to invest in bike shorts with a good chamois. You definitely want to invest in a decent skin-lubricating cream (hunt around here; several posts on that).

I splurged on a Brooks leather saddle for my tourer, and while I'm still breaking it in, I can already tell it's a much better ride than the cushion-packed saddle I replaced. If Brooks is too pricey, but you still want leather, Velo-Orange has some less-expensive ones (though caveat emptor: I've seen some poor reviews).