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 Brian, Last week I attended a free class on installing pavers at the Mira Mesa Home Depot. The guy said that because the ground doesn't freeze in San Diego you can skip the layer of gravel, dig down about 4 inches and put a 2 inch layer of sand, then the flagstone or pavers. For the sand use decomposed granite. The grain size is a little larger than play sand and once it settles will lock tight keeping the flagstone from sliding during a rainstorm. Home Depot sells flexible hard plastic edging in 10' lengths that you lay down and stake to the ground. It's cheap,easy and about $1. per length. The hardest part of the job is carrying the flagstone.

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.

if you can get ALL the soil and vegetation out, sure. It should work. But don't buy the hype about poly sand, if there's a means for weeds to germinate below you have a good shot of them coming up through your joints. And I'd definitely tighten the joints up as best you can, especially that monster joint in the foreground. Good luck!