My 100 X 50 foot long back yard has a slope of about 6% total away from the house. I have traced out an S-shaped path that mostly cuts across the slope, except for the two turns. I am now digging out the path to a depth of 8 inches to put in gravel, then sand, then stone (large stepping stones with some pebbles, and then moss in the gaps).

Here is my concern: Because of the slope, the side of the trench closer to the house is at a higher grade than the far side. Also, starting from the end of the path, farthest from the house, the base of the path is getting higher and higher as I move up the path toward the house, even though I am still digging down 8 inches. Therefore, the path slopes from side to side and from front to back.

Is it OK to build this path on this slope with no steps? Is it OK to have a soil base that is sloping in two directions? Can I tamp down the gravel, and sand, etc., and place the rocks on such a path? I am using a home-made screed to make sure that each section is 8 inches from grade to base, but I haven't been using a level. If I were to use a level for the whole path, by the time the path got to the house it would be six feet deep. When I walk the path, there is no significant sense of going down a hill, because of the way it cuts across the grain. But I'm concerned that there are engineering issues I'm overlooking.

-- wd