How do I build a stepping stone or gravel path that does not shift and sink?

Choosing the path for the job

A stepping stone path suits a route you walk a few times a day: from a gate to a side door, through a planting bed, out to a shed. It lets planting and groundcover run between the stones, so the path disappears into the garden. A gravel path suits heavier use, wheelbarrows, and places where you want a continuous surface without the cost of pavers. Combining them, with large stones set into a gravel bed, gives a firm footing with a relaxed look that suits North County's Mediterranean gardens.

Both are the lightest-touch hardscape there is, and both are kinder to tree roots and drainage than solid paving, which is one reason we suggest them in root zones and along side yards where water needs to soak in.

Setting stepping stones that stay level

Lay the stones out first and walk them. The comfortable spacing for most adults puts stone centers roughly two feet apart, with each stone at least sixteen inches across so a foot lands on it without aiming. Then, for each stone, cut out the sod or soil a few inches deeper than the stone's thickness, add crushed rock and compact it with a hand tamper, spread a thin bed of coarse sand or decomposed granite, and set the stone so its top sits flush with or barely above the grade. Flush stones are safe to mow over and do not trip anyone.

Flagstone, cut bluestone and precast concrete stepping stones all work; thicker stones stay put better than thin ones. Between the stones, a tough groundcover such as creeping thyme or dymondia, or a gravel fill, keeps the mud down.

Building a gravel path with a proper base

The edge is what people skip, and it is what keeps gravel off the lawn and out of the planting beds. A path with a proper edge and base feels firm underfoot and barely moves a stone in a year.

• Excavate the path four to six inches below finished grade and compact the subgrade.
• Install an edge: steel landscape edging, a paver soldier course, brick on edge, or a timber border, pinned firmly.
• Add two to four inches of crushed rock base and compact it in lifts.
• Optionally lay a stabilizing grid or landscape fabric over the base to keep gravel from sinking and weeds from rising.
• Top with one to two inches of angular gravel such as crushed granite or decomposed granite with a stabilizer, rake level and compact.

Which gravel

Rounded pea gravel is pretty and miserable to walk on; it rolls underfoot and migrates everywhere. Angular crushed gravel in a three-eighths-inch size locks together and stays put. Decomposed granite with a stabilizing binder compacts into a firm, natural-looking surface that drains, though it can soften in prolonged rain and needs a top-up every few years. Color matters against the house: warm golds and tans suit stucco and tile, grays suit modern and coastal palettes.

Living with a gravel or stone path

Rake gravel level once or twice a year and add a thin layer when it thins in traffic lanes. Keep leaf litter off so weeds do not root in it. Check stepping stones each spring for any that have settled or rock underfoot; lifting one and adding a handful of base takes minutes. Paths through planting beds with drip irrigation stay cleaner than ones under spray heads, which wash fines and soil across them.

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