On Halloween night, your front walkway is going to get more traffic than it normally sees in a week. Children, parents, and neighbours will be moving across the property in the dark, often carrying candy bags and wearing costumes that limit their vision. Add the possibility of wet weather and leaves, and an ordinary path can become a surprisingly complicated piece of real estate.

Inspect it after dark. A daytime inspection only tells half the story. Walk the entire approach to your home and look for uneven surfaces, changes in elevation, loose paving, garden edging, and transitions between the driveway, walkway, and steps.

Follow the water. It’s October, so wet weather is in the cards. Look for places where water collects – shallow depressions, the bottom of steps, and areas around downspouts. Clear wet leaves shortly before trick-or-treating begins, as they can create a slippery surface.

Light the path, not your guests. You want enough illumination to reveal the walkway without creating glare. Rather than one extremely bright fixture, use several lower-intensity lights positioned from the side or above.

Keep cords off the path. On Halloween night, the front yard decorations can include everything from string lights, illuminated pumpkins, inflatables, fog machines, speakers, projectors, motion-activated decorations, and whatever other electrical spectacle you've decided belongs on the lawn. Keep cords off the pedestrian route where they’re a tripping hazard.

Give the front steps a second look. Check that stair treads are visible, handrails are secure, and the edge of each step can be distinguished in low light. Keep pumpkins, lanterns, planters, and other decorations off the stairs. A decoration that looks charming from the street can become an obstacle when several children arrive at the same time.

Think twice about real flames. Candles have their place on Halloween, but the front entrance isn't it. When costumes, candy bags, and groups of children are all in motion, open flames introduce a different kind of hazard.

A safer walkway will still look great. Clear the leaves. Deal with standing water. Look at the steps. Test the lights. The house can still look spectacular. There can be pumpkins, cobwebs, lanterns, and all the theatrical excess Halloween deserves. But underneath it all, the best-prepared walkway is the one that simply gets everyone to the door.