Sometimes a path is just a path and other times it can serve multiple purposes. The path in the picture will take you from the concrete driveway to the back gate which leads into the back yard. But this particular path serves a greater purpose of moving quite a bit of water during a heavy rain. The water sheets off the driveway and also off the roof of the house onto this path that now becomes a creek bed during wet weather.
Before we installed the large river rock and flagstone slabs there was a lot of erosion happening in this area. The non-woven weed control fabric under the large river rock now stops the erosion and the heavy gravel allows the water to disperse on its way down the slight incline to the turf. Those thick flagstone slabs allow for easy walking but also are heavy enough to not be moved by all the water rushing through during a downpour.
During the design phase I knew that having all that rock coupled with more rock would make for a fairly stark look overall. I decided to add beds with lots of colorful perennials on one side and soft mulch and evergreens on the other side under the existing trees. The path becomes a focal point for the whole space as well as serving dual purposes in this landscape.