I don't know how big your yard is, but I would start small, with the gravel, meaning, just big enough for the seating at first--the point being, you can always expand, but you will never remove the gravel once you've got it in (I'm making assumptions about what you will or won't do in the future based on human nature, the nature of gravel removal, and your post!). Also, will be an issue for the next (owner?)--if you will be responsible for future sale of the property, then that is one reason to avoid some forms of home improvement that may be seen as drawbacks. If you are the least bit inclined to "gardening" and to enjoy a bit of greenery, you might be able to plan and install some pockets of groundcover for the same price as covering everything with gravel--it is possible to build up soil areas without a lot of digging and leveling, particularly for planting one of the tough groundcovers (not for growing tea roses right away!). There would be some upkeep to establish the plantings but again, you could start small-- an area 3x3 or 4x4. You might approach your yard by mapping out quadrants or areas and tackle one or 2 , but leave the rest bare until you phase in the whole plan. The return would be that you would not be trying to establish a lawn from scratch under poor conditions but you would have some green space. You haven't said whether you have any trees in your yard or overhanging your yard--leaves, cones, acorns, maple seeds-- but that is an issue for pea gravel--you don't want a lot of gravel if there is going to be a lot of organic debris falling on it, requiring constant raking and upkeep.

No walk should ever be "level". Layout where you want the walk. They should substitute the word "flat" for "level". This is very simple. Don't over think it(sometimes reading too much is not a good thing). Put away the bubble machine (the level). Finish grade the area between the steps and the driveway (the whole area without regard for the walk). Then excavate (dig) out for the base material that goes under your walk. Build up that base so that it is the thickness of the brick (most concrete pavers are abut 2-3/8" thick) lower than the adjacent grade. Use a board to "screed" (smooth the surface evenly) the surface to make it even (sloped, but not up and down). Then set your bricks. If there is a cross slope (right to left as you walk) on the adjacent grade, you should make sure that your walk has a slight cross slope in that same direction (you can use the bubble machine for checking the cross slope). If it is pretty lever from left to right, you may consider adding a slight amount of sand down the middle of the walk to add a slight crown to the walk. This helps the walk not become sagged in the middle over time and looks nicer (in my opinion) than a flat walk. Prepare the base just as you would to do it flat.

My mental picture was stone framing. one or several uniform pieces of managable size fronting each step and cut into the soil for stability. By this I mean that the bottom of the stone at the front of the step should be burried below the dirt of the next lower step by several inches. The gravel would have to be level with the top of the stone. I think wood would clash as much as brick with the upper portion. I also recomend some of the little solar lights next to each step to call attention to it and illuminate it at night. Cement can be used as mortar to hold it together better. Since you said it is only about 10' in length, get a level, a straight board longer than 10', and a tape measure. A partner would help too. place one end of the board at the point where you want the uphill end of the steps to begin. set the level on top of the board and lift the lower end until level. Measure the distance between the board and the ground at the low end. mark the board at this point where you measured. Then measure the length along the board to this mark. now you have the length and height of the entire set of steps and can divide it evenly, instead of "eyeballing it". Even height is safer, though eyeballing it may be more natural looking. The stone should be no more uneven than rough cut stone for the same reason. I also suggest keeping extra gravel to maintain the levelness of the steps to avoid that tripping lip effect as the gravel settles, compacts, and vanishes over time. You may also wish to get LOCAL advise on stability issues with the soil. You may need to place gravel under the stone framing, or use concrete to stabilize it due to climate and soil conditions. Ziggy

A paver pathway can be as simple as just laying down pavers or flagstones on the sod and cutting out the sod around them and removing it so they are flush. This can work just fine for a secondary, not heavily traveled path. If you want a more long-lasting, durable path that can take any sort of foot traffic, you may want to prep a bit more, including using a proper base and leveling carefully. Typically you want a compacted base material (gravel/crushed rock) of 4-6 inches and then a 1-2" layer of coarse sand. Lay your pavers on the sand, level and fill cracks with more sand - or if openly spaced, more crushed rock or pea gravel. I do recommend weed/landscape cloth as an underlayment for any hardscaping project but that's about its only valid use. I also recommend using rigid edging to define the pathway and adequately contain both the base, pavers and whatever surrounds them.