How to level sand and gravel

There are a few steps that you will need to go through in order to check this, but it is not quite as difficult as it sounds.

If you are not intending on putting any extra layers on top of the gravel or sand, then you do not need to pay quite as much attention to how level it is.  As long as there is enough gravel or sand to fill the area that you want filled, you'll be fine!  After all, any surface like this that is open to the elements is probably only going to stay level for a short period of time anyway, and then you'll have to smooth it out again.

In order to get a level plane of gravel, you are probably going to have to rent or borrow a builder's level.  This is a basic line of site tool that will help you determine whether or not you have stakes that are at the right height.  Essentially, you should put a ruled stake (it should be several feet high and gradated in quarters of an inch) in each corner and in a few locations in between as well.

Unless you need the final result to be perfectly level, you might want to put in a slight gradation in order to make sure that water will drain in the direction you want it to when it rains (away from your house, for example!).  You can do this by making one side slightly higher than the other - it is recommended that you only lower the grade of your slope about a half an inch for every eight feet of gravel or sand surface.

Once you have the stakes lined up correctly, and you know how high you want the surface to be at each point, it is time to start filling in your area with sand and gravel.

Finally, in order to make sure that you keep the sand or gravel level in between the stakes, it is a good idea to put up strings that stretch across the area.  This will ensure that you keep the gravel level throughout the entire area that you're working with.