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Ok I CONvinced a buddy of mine to go with me. We are looking at just heading to Weavers Needle area. Pinyon Camp or whatever. BUt we wanna do an over night. The one question we have is fire wood......Do we need to bring it in or is there some kinda out and about???? Whats the rule with this? We are looking at the next couple of weekends, it shouldnt be too cold at night seeing as how its still mid 80 in the day. I pretty much wussed out last year and have been kicking my self for a while. ANY info or advice would be great. YES we are newbies. I have the water issue taken care of. bringin it in. We plan on heading in around 4 pm on a friday and the way I go that would put me at Freemont saddle around 530 or so.

Not much firewood around, dunno how you plan to backpack it in either??? They've been posting no campfire signs at Peralta and Goldmine TH's the last two seasons.

pinyon camp has a fire ring or two. take in a firelog? 8lbs each, iirc.
fwiw, sleep between those 2 sugar sumacs and you'll stay warmer.

You'll be able to find stuff around to burn. I know everyone has different ethics about collecting stuff to burn in the desert, but I've definitely done it. It's a lot of work to keep a fire going because most everything is super dry and hollow and burns down really quickly (certainly not difficult to get it started), but I always have a good time with friends collecting fuel.

Just call Tonto NF to see if there are current fire restrictions out there.

Have you done much hiking since your initial post here about backpacking? I seem to recall you determined you weren't really in backpacking shape at the time, which resulted in aborting your first attempt. If this is still the case, I might recommend something a bit less strenuous because, although Peralta is ridiculously popular, there is a lot of elevation gain in a fairly short distance. I was shocked my first time hiking Peralta at how winded I was and how many breaks I took heading up with just a daypack.

Hackberry Springs loop would be a great introduction to backpacking. It's about the same distance as Peralta, a lot more forgiving on the legs, and there are several great campsites. And, because First Water Creek is a more significant drainage than East Boulder Canyon (where pinyon camp is located), I would be willing to bet there would be more available firewood from flood debris at Hackberry than at Pinyon Camp. Just make sure you're able to get through garden valley before it gets dark. The trail is less defined then some of the more popular trails in the wilderness.

I know recommending other hikes wasn't part of your inquiry, but I can clearly remember my first backpacking trip. I hated every second hiking out of Fossil Springs. The easier you start the more enjoyable it will be.

Edit: Sorry, I just saw that you have hiked Peralta to Fremont Saddle, so you're familiar with the elevation layout of the trail. But, I'll still stand by the recommendation of "the easier the better" with your first backpacking trip, particularly if you have limited time to reach a campsite.

Yeah i have dropped some weight and dont get gassed as quickly. I will for sure look into other camping options. I picked pinyon because i am some what familiar with the location....I am heading out there tomorrow actually I will look into the alternatives as well. I just want a good first experience camping out and about.