Question
I have an area of lawn that I need to drive across about 8-12 times a year primarily in the summer when the soil is dry and the lawn is brown.  Up to now it was an established lawn, with quite a bit of weeds.  We are now regrading the area, putting in a  sprinkler system and new top soil and grass seed. I know the best solution is a gravel or tracks of pavers where the tires will run, but this is not the look I am looking for.  
I heard that gravel under the grass is actually great because the soil does not get as compacted and drains better.  But I have not found any information to support this nor do I know how to go about it (size of gravel, mix with topsoil etc?)
Can you provide me any suggestions either as an alternative or as a recommended way to proceed using the gravel?  Thanks

Answer
Hello, Dale - the info you got is entirely accurate.  You need a bit more structure than just gravel and turf to both maintain the turf and deter rutting...

Here are 5 manufacturers that make mat products designed to work with gravel voids and turf suitabl efor traffic:

http://www.invisiblestructures.com/grasspave2.html
http://www.boddingtons-ltd.com/civil/grass-paver-grid.htm
http://www.us-fence.com/HTML/turf.html
http://www.nomudinc.com/Prod_NetTurfGd.asp
http://www.weldmesh.org/Turf-Reinforcement-Mesh-58.htm

The first 2 products I have specified for commerical jobs, and the other three act similar in function with slight variations.  If you google your state/locale along with the product that best fits your needs, you should be able to find the distributor in your area that can get you a better idea as to price.  It is an easy install, and you are doing it right - before you lay the sod!!

Hope it helps.
~Marc