Although it's only a short walk from the curb to your front door, you can easily trip, stumble, or blunder your way into a garden bed if your walkway isn't illuminated. In addition to guiding your last steps home, path lighting can be a beautiful addition to your landscaping and an extra deterrent against intruders.

A nighttime stroll along the path can let you know where some extra light is necessary. Margie Grace, writing for the home design site Houzz, says you should make a note of places where you might go off the path, such as sharp corners. If you are uneasy about walking up the path in the dark, you should also look into lighting up any dark, hidden places along the way.

One option is to simply outline the path with a set of short lamps. These lights are easy to install, since they can be staked into the soil along the path, and they give your walkway a runway-like appearance. Chris Raymond, writing for This Old House, says these lights are typically wired to a transformer to safely lower the voltage of a 120-volt outlet.

These lamps come in a variety of styles and materials. You'll pay less for a simple design, and more for durable materials such as copper or ornate fixtures such as scrollwork lanterns.

Solar lights are a popular choice for walkway lighting, since you don't have to worry about wiring. Once you stake the light in place, a small solar panel will collect energy during the day and illuminate the path at night.

Of course, the effect of these lamps can vary. They will be less effective if the walkway is shaded for most of the day, on overcast days, and in the winter when they receive fewer hours of sunlight.

The type of bulb can be an important choice. Dave Toht, writing for the National Association of Realtors' home improvement site HouseLogic, says LED lights have become more popular since they are long-lasting and efficient. The home improvement professional Bob Vila says LEDs are particularly useful for focusing light on a certain part of the path.

The lighting doesn't have to be limited to the pathway. Raymond says lights can be installed in the risers of a set of stairs or alongside the staircase. This type of installation is more difficult, so it might not be feasible to do it on your own.

It's also possible to illuminate the path from the ground. Vila says solar-powered LED pavers can be substituted for certain bricks or stones in the walkway. At night, these pavers will provide a clear indication of where to go.

While lamps directly along a walkway are useful, you can enhance your curb appeal by mimicking natural light. Toht says some lighting options are designed to simulate moonlight, meaning they aren't too bright but are still useful in highlighting features of your yard.

Uplighting is one way to achieve this effect, as lights on the ground will illuminate statues or other yard features. This method is also a popular way to light up trees along the walkway. Raymond says casting light on landscaping alongside the path is often more attractive than directly lighting up the walkway itself, and still achieves the desired goal of guiding you between the door and the curb.

One interesting option is to hide a downward projecting light in a tree or other tall feature. When illuminated, the light can highlight a sizable area of the path and lawn. Overhead lighting is a good choice if you want to light a larger area in front of your home rather than simply outlining the walkway.

While many walkway lights are functional and unattractive, such as bollards, others have a beautiful and intriguing appearance. Lamps can be shaped like cattails, toadstools, and other interesting designs. Toht says you can also choose from a variety of different colors, but that white light is usually the most effective.

If you want to conserve power, consider walkway lights with timers, sensors, or motion sensors. Timers can be programmed to light up only at certain times of the evening, while sensors will activate the lights once the natural light falls below a certain level. Motion sensors will turn on the lights as you walk up the path, making them a good choice for both guidance and deterring unwanted visitors.