Question
Hi. I'm planning a 30 foot by 4 foot walkway on a slight slope (2 foot drop in about 30 feet). I want to use pavers installed on a sand bed. I've read some articles that mention using 2" or so of gravel under the sand, but I can't find information as to what kind of gravel. My choices locally are turkey grit, which is a small, roundish pebble gravel (about 3/8" average diameter) or 3/4" quarry rock, a more uneven gravel with some dirt mixed in. We live in a somewhat rainy area (Oregon coast) so I want decent drainage. What are your thoughts? Thanks/

Answer
I'd go with the 3/4" rock, as the "turkey grit" sounds too unstable.  By that, I mean that the smooth surfaces of the stone would encourage the path to "creep" down the hill, like it was on a conveyor belt.

You are, after all, defying one of the most powerful forces of nature: gravity.  A 7% slope is pretty steep, albeit not really a cliff,  but it is just only slightly less than a handicapped ramp (8.33% in most places).  I may even suggest that the sand bed may not stay where you put it, either.  Sort of like a sand castle - over time, it WILL end up at the sea edge...and the pavers, like poker chips on a wet slide.  I wouldn't go much steeper than 5% (1-1/2 ft for 30 feet), personally.

Maybe if you place them something more "sticky", like grassy humus, or at least a nice, low groundcover - thyme, moss, to "tie" the pavers down, etc.  Just a thought.

I don't want to discourage you, as I am all for garden pathways.  I just don't want you to have to re-build this walkway after every cloud-burst.  

Good luck!  -Marc