Paths are intended to be optional assistance for new players - none of the Burthorpe rewards are unique (the dwarven army axe can be claimed from Major Rancour without needing to complete Turael's paths).
The Lumbridge paths don't have any rewards (other than what you get from completing the content), to make them completely optional.
They're currently mostly just a mix of the old Lumbridge introductory tasks tutorial and Lumbridge Beginner area tasks, to help new players who want a little more guidance explore Lumbridge and the surrounding area.
To add to the point about quests, our Adventures->Quests list has a lot of filtering options in the top-left and you can sort the list several extra ways.
I'd recommend Timeline which is a combo of chronological and difficulty order, but you can also sort by area, length, age, etc.
They also all have quest overview screens, even the miniquests, so you can prep more easily.
In Lumbridge, depending on your play style, I'd recommend Blood Pact (unlocks catacombs dungeon), Cook's Assistant and Restless Ghost.
Further afield I'd recommend the voiced novice quests - One Piercing Note, Song from the Depths, Rune Mysteries & Rune Memories, What's Mine Is Yours & the Doric and Boric miniquests ("have you heard about the Mining & Smithing rework"?), and Stolen Hearts & Diamond in the Rough (then Jack of Spades to unlock Menaphos).
If you like Slayer, I'd also recommend the new Slayer Master in Lumbridge castle courtyard. She only offers tasks suitable for new players in the surrounding area.
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