10 Pathway Designs For Your Hillside Yard
It’s said that the kitchen is the heart of a home. If that’s true, then the backyard has to be the lungs. A backyard is your own personal outdoor space. With the proper setup, they are places of laughter, relaxation, and quality time with the people you love. It breathes life into your house and helps make it a home. But, there are a lot of factors in creating the perfect backyard, like decks, plants, and pathways.
Building your ideal yard can feel daunting, especially if your property is on a hillside. But, finding the right pathway to fit your style is a simple step that will take you closer to your backyard dreams. Whether you are just beginning full backyard renovations or wanting to change up what you’ve already got, a new pathway design is the way to go. In no time at all, you can turn your outdoor space into a place everyone wants to be.
We’ve rounded up ten different pathway designs to help you find the perfect fit for your yard.
1. Stamped Concrete
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance and durable pathway, concrete may be the best option. Don’t worry, you won’t have to settle for basic lines or grey color schemes. Instead, there are a variety of stylistic qualities you can choose from to add character to your hillside yard such as:
The options are seemingly endless, and chances are likely that you will be able to find the perfect concrete option to fit your home.
2. Wooden Ramps
Depending on your yard’s gradient, wooden ramps are a great, disability-friendly choice. These structures give your yard an open and friendly feeling while enabling people from every walk of life to enjoy your space. The need to pick between beauty and functionality will no longer be a point of concern by choosing to install a wooden ramp surrounded by planters and grass or trees and mulch.
3. Flagstone Stairs
Flagstone is a reliable and straightforward option that adds completeness to your backyard. Its timeless beauty pairs well with retaining walls, turning your hillside yard into your own personal paradise. This versatile option allows you to create open patios connected by shallow steps or longer stairs leading to different parts of your yard. With flagstone, the possibilities are endless.
4. Tree Stump Stairs
Do you want your backyard to feel like a life-sized fairy garden? Tree stump stairs are the way to go. This whimsical option is excellent for hillside yards that have some, if not all, of the following stylistic features:
Imagine walking from your house down a set of tree stump stairs, surrounded by beautiful plants, to a calming water feature. We feel at one with nature already.
5. Brick Pathways
Bricks come in all kinds of colors, shapes, and sizes. Not to mention they make for beautiful and functional walkways. Whether you pick a traditional red and lay them horizontally or go for a grey herringbone pattern, a brick pathway will elevate your backyard. When laid flat, without stairs, bricks can also be great for accommodating wheelchairs or walkers — enabling you to allow all your loved ones to enjoy your new backyard.
6. Railroad Tie Stairs
A less traditional route to take would be creating a stairway for your hillside backyard out of railroad ties. This option works particularly well for steep hillsides, but you can always change the design a little for other kinds of hills. If you want your backyard to feel like your favorite hiking trail, pair railroad ties with an assortment of beautiful greenery options
, and every day can be an outdoor adventure.
7. Stepping Stones and Plants
Another eccentric option for your yard is stepping stones surrounded by walking safe plants. You have endless choices to find the perfect rock and plant for you. You can set square flagstones into your grass or pair round concrete pavers with durable moss. For a more natural feel, you can use sandstone with natural shapes and thyme in between. Whichever design calls to you, you can’t go wrong with simple stepping stones.
8. Stones and Tiles
Whatever the style of your home, from coastal to country living, there is a stone and tile walkway possibility to fit perfectly. Large round tiles surrounded by pea gravel could be for you. Or perhaps a tile pattern set into larger flat stones. If your deck is made of tile, you can follow that same material out into your yard and line it with larger rocks and plants. Your ideal backyard might be just a few stones and tiles away.
9. Mulch
If you want your backyard to feel as natural as possible, mulch is the way to go. Mulch is both highly functional and adaptable to fit your style. It comes in a variety of colors, such as:
You can also leave a mulch walkway unlined or place bricks or other stones along the edge to create precise lines. Add some greenery, and you’ve got a backyard that is both well done and natural.
10. Gravel
Similar to mulch, gravel is an easy and versatile pick for a walkway. With a multitude of gravels to choose from and countless options of both lined and unlined paths, you can create a backyard that feels purposeful and one with the natural environment. If your hillside backyard is wooded, you can opt for an unlined pathway. Or, if you’ve got a rolling hill of grass, you can have a gravel path lined with bricks and planters.
Pathways Complete Your Backyard
Backyards are full of endless possibilities and countless memories. Whatever your backyard contains, or whatever you want it to contain, it won’t feel complete without proper pathways. Whether you need to connect your deck to your garden, your garden to your water feature, or your open space to your shed, the proper pathway can create cohesion for your area. When you are renovating or updating your hillside backyard, don’t forget to check out all the different options you have for walkways.
Did an option on this list spark an idea for your yard? Reach out to us today to get a free quote and learn how we can help you achieve your backyard dreams.
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