I just think you would find that that construction method does not hold up--especially for heavy-ish objects on wheels.The fact that it would be over the compacted clay affects how the path handles water and so the thin layer that you describe will not necessarily compact together properly, as I understand it. So one point might be, if you are just trying to have a path that has some gravel showing here and there and you like the texture combo rather than just hardpacked dirt, it may be that no special kind of gravel is needed because--and I am not an expert here--you have bypassed the construction methods that promote the behavior of DG as packing and interlocking particles. If you were just aiming for a footpath to avoid mud, I would say that it is possible to make informal stepstone or paver paths with less rather than more preparation than is often recommended--again that is allowing for lower expectations for aesthetics and stability; but for rolling wheelbarrows and garbage cans, you need more width than a step-stone type path. Maybe it is because I take to heart your proposed dimensions--1/4-1/2 inch thick is not very much! I believe that some apparently well-worn hiking trails actually have additional gravel added over time for this very reason. Plus if you have hiked after a rain and after the park rangers have driven through you will see the ruts with standing water and mud. One concern I have is that adding the very thin layer may actually change the clay to be more of a weed substrate than before, because now the soil may become more porous and aerated instead of being relatively inhospitable. When you say "easy to hoe," I think, hoeing is so disruptive, it will make it worse, and then how does it end up looking better than just a beaten path? But what I hear you saying is, you would like the look of a gravel-ish path. So maybe if your expectations for better function are low and you like the aesthetics of a gravel-ly path, it is right for you. This is a long way of saying I have not made a path like this with good long-term results.

Hi there, We did this around our potager. We dug down about 3-4 inches to level, used a hand tamper to compact and laid lanscape fabric to suppress weeds. It's held up nicely for four years so far. Few weeds root in the gravel, but easy to pull. We haven't had to top up the gravel yet, but may do so in a year or two. As to what to use, this terminology seems to differ by region. I've heard it called crusher run, road mulch, etc. You can ask for 'quarter inch minus" which means a mix of larger pieces (but no larger than 1/4" plus fines and small stuff). You do NOT want pea gravel or anything too large which is shifty underfoot and a pain to drive wheelbarrow through, etc. HOpe that helps.

KOH and NHBabs, thanks for your comments. I'm attaching a picture of the existing backyard. You can see the rock path curving around and meeting the patio to the right. The concrete extends in a walkway from that patio to the back gate and past the back door, out to the driveway. To the extreme left is the carport and garage, which form the side boundary of the yard. As for the use of the patio, there will be a pergola covering it (denoted in blue), and a hot tub and a place to put two chairs and a small propane fire pit. Not much scooting back and forth of chairs will be going on. (The grill and trampoline pictured will be relocated.) Here is a ROUGH diagram of what I've been playing with... slightly altering the stone path and the bed that it confines to extend out and over to a poured-in-place paver patio with the same crushed granite between the pavers. I've been playing around with lots of different iterations. I think I'd probably have less of a curve downward with the rock/gravel path and make it wider where it meets the patio so that it forms a more organic shape. The thing I can't rectify in my mind is the juxtaposition of rectangular concrete and natural stone. Since I have a rectangular concrete patio already, and don't want to have to resurface it, I'd like to marry the two types of surfaces. I'm just not sure if I'm approaching it the best way.

There is one picture of a construction site of a small paver patio set maybe 8' away from two sets of doors, sliders and a double door, on the back of the house, centered on nothing. Like 3onthetree, I find the whole situation sketchy. It looks like they were trying to save most of the money on a patio and all they got was a pad big enough for a hot tub. Can you make gravel fix that? Maybe. You can surround the hot tub pad by a properly sized gravel patio that functions with the doors and becomes the base for a future full sized finished patio. A gravel base 4"+ deep that drains correctly doesn't favor weed seed germination. Cleaning large gravel, 3/4", even smaller, by a skilled blowing artist is a simple seasonal chore. I get maybe four weeds a year in my gravel patio in the rain forest of WNC. One was a columbine, so I left it. The SW exposure helps a lot. One day if the mood strikes, I can add a stone floor. It is perfectly fine to walk on with shoes. The cats use the red brick road.