Sorry, but for lack of better terms, i’de be pissed! Fence, gate, wall, anything to make them take their lazy rear ends around....big dog with just enough rope, but train him not to take food from strangers, been there.

Thoughts while thinking, there is no telling who uses that path on other occasions, at night, or when ever your not home, thinking it’s ok to cut through YOUR front yard.

Post pictures please

Added photo!

I would talk nicely to them. Let them know how hard you have been working on the garden and then let them know that your garden that you just planted is starting to show signs of breakage and that the lawn is starting to show signs of a pathway.

Honestly, I would get over it. Your kids will soon be cutting through everyone’s yards as they are out in the neighborhood playing with their friends. Balls and toys will errantly end up in other yards and they will need to be able to retrieve them. Your shrubs will grow big enough that your neighbors can’t step through them. And you really really don’t want to be bookended by people who have a vendetta against you. I agree your neighbors are annoying and should not be cutting through your yard, but is this truly the hill you want to die on? Recently an old thread got resurrected and it was about bad neighbors. You should probably try to find it. Your complaint is valid, but it could be much, much worse.

Turn your sprinkler on during the day in that corner.

I think I’d rather have them cross on my sidewalk, than trampling through my bushes. I’m going to say ignore and get used to it, because they aren’t going to go down the steps, across the sidewalk, and up their parent’s steps; without a ton of resentment. It may not be right, but it’s one of those things.
Our neighbors built on ALL of their lot, leaving their four children no lawn, so they play in ours. It’s annoying, but we’ve learned to live with it, and I’ve even brought them bubbles and such. It’s a lawn, after all, and we don’t want to be the grumpy old neighbors who seem unreasonable.

Try putting a small planter wall with flowers on it to block their path, a nice small fence with plants mounted on it wouldn't look bad imo. Good luck!

I understand how annoying that is! We have a corner lot that gets cut across on a regular basis I guess we just got used to it! It wasn’t worth it to us to be “that” Nieghbor although it is not often enough that it makes a worn area on the lawn. One thing I think may be helpful is adding a nice path to your neighbors yard to keep them on that instead of the lawn making a worn path spot. Make it a feature and consider it a peace offering! Otherwise put a fence up and call it good!

Thank you all for your feedback. I feel like I can’t say anything without offending them and starting a feud, which I don’t want, so more plantings it is! I have been thinking of a way to install a trellis and potted clematis or something along the side of the path that faces their house which would be pretty and helpful.

I wanted to add one more comment to your situation. If you are concerned about strangers not just your neighbors crossing in front of your house perhaps a motion sensor spotlight would be a good idea placed in those areas. At my previous rural house my son was friends with the neighbor boys a 5 acre vacant lot between the houses that we owned. To keep the kids from going out on the street or walking through tall weeds and grass we kept a path mowed between the two houses.

It is so obvious they are going through your yard to avoid having to go up and down the steps, which seem pretty significant, and aren’t going to stop unless you build a wall all the way down to the street. As long as they don’t run back and forth every fifteen minutes, eighteen hours a day, I would stop trying to block the path and get over it. Tell them you understand they use your yard to avoid the stairs and they owe you a toll of a nice bottle of wine a month (or whatever works for you) to use the short cut.