They can be a pain to put down, but after you do, just stick to them and you will be pleased.
My town was turning into a brown wasteland before I put down paths because I never used paths before New Leaf, but in this game I really noticed a difference.
I wish I had taken screen shots of what my town looked like before I used paths, cause it looked brown and ugly xD But now all my grass has grown back and I'm very happy! Just make sure once you put the paths down that you commit and only walk on the paths!