What to Know About Adding a Beautiful, Suitable Path to Your Yard

The Benefits of Adding a Garden Path

There are many benefits to adding a garden walkway. They create connections between indoor and outdoor spaces, and also within the yard itself. An entry walk guides and welcomes family and friends. A path off a back porch, patio or deck invites you into the yard and provides a smooth transition to areas designed for entertaining, relaxing and play.

Smaller paths can branch off from larger ones, allowing you to explore smaller pockets of the yard or discover a space hidden from view. A path along the side of the house can provide a transition from the public front of your home to the private space beyond, or give you easier access to an otherwise overlooked area.

Whom to Hire

Hiring an experienced landscape professional will help ensure that you create a well-designed, functional path. The type of pro you choose to work with will likely depend on the scale and complexity of your project.

If your path is part of a new landscape installation or a full or partial outdoor renovation, a landscape architect or designer can create something that suits the location and matches the look you want, and that will best fit your overall design and budget.

A landscape contractor, especially one with design experience, might be a good choice for smaller projects, such as adding a simple path or replacing an existing one.

You might be able to add the simplest paths, including ones composed of steppingstones, decomposed granite or mulch, by yourself. Before you start, evaluate your skill level and any prep work required.

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What to Consider When Planning Your Garden Path

How it will be used. This is the first step when planning a path. If the path will get lots of foot traffic or need to handle a lawn mower or wheelbarrow being rolled across it, choose materials that will hold up to wear without shifting or breaking. Having the path permanently set in place, such as with concrete, natural stone or brick in mortar, adds stability.

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Accessibility requirements. Much of the advice above holds true if you have concerns about mobility and accessibility, both now and for the future. Wide, solid paths that have minimal to no joints are far easier and safer to navigate than those with loosely set stones, pavers, crushed stone or gravel.

Time of day you’ll use it. Determine how often you will be walking on the path in low light, and plan accordingly. Entry walks and other primary paths need to have adequate lighting for the evening and nighttime hours to prevent trips and falls.

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Your yard’s slope. Even if your yard’s grade change is minimal, make sure that it will be easy for everyone to navigate. Solutions may range from a curved path that gently transverses the slope to a series of steps that cut through the grade.

Path Material Options

You have a lot of material choices for your path, including natural stone, concrete, brick, wood, decomposed granite, gravel and mulch. The best material for your project will come down to your path’s purpose, the style you want and your personal preferences.

Natural stone. No matter your yard’s design, the odds are good that you’ll find a natural stone that works for you. Natural stone is highly durable. Brick-like stone can be closely set for a more formal or finished look. Free-form pavers, including steppingstones, work well in a more informal setting. Both types can be mortared in place or set on a permeable base of compacted stone and builder sand.

Popular stone materials for paths are flagstone, bluestone, limestone and sandstone; granite and marble also appear in some landscapes. A local stone will feel more organic in your landscape and also generally will be available at a better price than a nonlocal stone.

Cobblestones are another stone option and are usually set on a permeable base. While they tend to chip more readily and don’t provide as even a surface as other types of stone, they give a smaller path undeniable charm.

Stone is one of the more expensive paving options. It can crack easily, especially if it is not mortared in place. You will need to seal bluestone regularly, and other stones also benefit from this treatment to prevent stains and to preserve the surface. Other maintenance includes sweeping and rinsing off the stones periodically, checking for failing grout and removing any weeds that have worked their way in between the stones.

Guide: Pros and cons of bluestone, limestone and granite paving

Concrete. Concrete remains a top pick for walkways. It is versatile and can stand up to weather and heavy use. It’s also long-lasting, budget-friendly and low-maintenance.

Poured-in-place concrete is a good choice for large pads or a continuous path with minimal joints. The surface can be smooth, stamped, brushed, scored or topped with pebbles. You also can stain or tint concrete any color you want.

Guide: Pros and cons of cast-in-place concrete

Concrete pavers also are popular. You’ll find them in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. There also are pavers with cutouts for inset plantings, with interlocking styles that eliminate the need for mortar and with cobblestones that mimic the look of natural stone. The upfront cost may be more expensive than poured-in-place concrete, but they can last longer and are less prone to cracking.

Pavers also can be set closely together, either on a concrete or sand-and-rock base, to mimic the look of a stone surface. Or they can be set farther apart and used as steppingstones.

Maintenance involves sweeping off leaves and debris and periodically rinsing the concrete with water. If the pavers are not set on concrete, you’ll need to weed them as well. Other chores include cleaning up any spills and checking for and repairing any cracks. If you apply a sealer, you will have to renew it every few years.

Guide: Pros and cons of precast concrete paving

Brick. Brick walkways bring a classic look to any landscape. They’re long-lasting, durable and relatively slip-resistant, and they don’t fade. While your options for color and shape are more limited than with some other materials, they can be easily cut to fit a tricky location or tight corner. Bricks also can be easily replaced if they get damaged.

Regularly cleaning and periodically washing your brick path will keep it looking good. Remove any stains as soon as you can. Avoid sandblasting or using muriatic (aka hydrochloric) acid for cleaning, as it can damage the brick. Pull any weeds that grow up between the bricks.

Guide: Pros and cons of brick paving

Wood. A wood path suits many outdoor styles and situations. Closely set boards create a boardwalk look that fits a modern landscape as well as a more naturalistic one. More widely spaced boards add the hint of a path, and some stability, without overwhelming the space.

Another option is wood rounds or slices of a trunk used as pavers. While not ideal for a primary path, they are a creative choice for a path between trees or the entry to a play area. Ensure that the rounds are wide and thick enough to provide support and are set firmly into the ground.

Wood does not last as long as more solid materials; plan to replace the boards or rounds every 15 to 25 years. You’ll also need to seal freshly cut wood before installing it. You can extend the life of your wood path by installing a layer of gravel between the wood and soil.

Crushed stone and gravel add a sensory experience. The sound of crunching beneath your feet makes you feel truly a part of the space.

These materials are a little less stable underfoot, especially for those with mobility concerns. You can help mitigate some of the issues by installing several inches of the material, packing it tightly and adding edging. There also are sealants that can help hold crushed stones together. Choose an angular gravel for the most stability underfoot.

Guide: Pros and cons of gravel paving

One downside of loose materials is that they can be a little messier than more solid pathways. They require edging to stay in place, often adhere to shoes and bare feet, and can be tracked into other parts of your yard and house. Decomposed granite is also abrasive, so experts recommend avoiding using it next to decks, where tracked particles can act as sandpaper.

You will need to replenish loose materials regularly. Paths made from these materials will require regular weeding as well.

Entry walks generally look best when they play up the style of the home. For a welcoming look, make yours at least 48 inches wide, allowing two people to walk side by side.

Straight or strongly geometric paths are a good match for traditional and contemporary home styles.

Meandering paths often make sense in less formal settings, especially with Craftsman and cottage-style homes and in natural-style landscapes.

A curved or offset path can make a long and narrow space appear wider. Another way to minimize a narrow space is to set a paver path at an angle, dividing the space into two triangles.

To make a small yard feel larger, hide the end of the path behind a large shrub, a tree or a short wall.

Side yards and backyards, especially if they’re screened from the street, can offer more opportunities to indulge in playfulness or whimsy. Pavers set to mimic steppingstones provide a subtler approach to another area of your yard while still offering solid footing.

A true steppingstone path works well as a secondary path to a corner of the landscape or in a side yard.

For any type of steppingstone path, make sure that the stones are wide enough for an adult to comfortably step onto. Also, don’t place them too far apart. You should be able to walk easily along the path.

Adding a transition space within a longer path, such as a small footbridge across a dry river bed or garden pond, can create a focal point and draw people into the space.

None of the above is a hard-and-fast rule. Just as you can adapt your planting style to work with your home’s facade, you can adapt your path look with your material and design choices.

When to do this project. You can add a path whenever your chosen location is dry and the temperature is warm enough to work comfortably and for any base layers to be set up. For warm-winter climates, that might be any time during the year. In colder regions, spring through fall is the optimal time.

How long it will take. Depending on what you want, a path can be installed in just a few hours or may take several days.

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