Need advice about swampy area of the back yard

We have a partially-shaded area of our backyard that is almost always muddy and swampy. Grass won't really grow there.  It's really bad--I hate walking on it, as it gets my shoes very muddy. It's about 10ft wide by 18 ft long, and one side is up against the fence.  The deck is on the edge of the area on the opposite side. We have an outdoor swing there, and love to sit on it, but that nasty mud keeps me from doing so a good portion of the summer.

DH and I would like to put down something permanent and attractive on at least the 2ft-wide "path" to the garden gate, though I'd like to do the entire surface.

I suggested paving it all in, but DH said we can't, due to a couple of huge tree roots from the neighbor's tree on the fence side. I thought about gravel, but it would just get maple spinners, leaves, etc. mixed in with it and look messy.

I suggested building a pressure-treated lumber mini-deck or even just a path one in the center. DH said we can't, as it would sink down into the mud.

I would imagine that we'd need to do something about the drainage problem first, but I have no idea how to do so.

Any ideas, advice and/or suggestions would be most welcome. Thanks!

LOL... first thing I thought was "plant some blueberries"! 

But you are looking for some kind of walkway...

A question first... do you have a septic system?  The reason I ask is because it sounds a lot like the issue my dad had on his property.  He couldn't figure out why a certain part of his lawn was always mushy.  He finally had a friend come look at it, and the guy says, "Hmmmm... looks like your septic system drainage needs an overhaul".    It turned into quite the project, but after digging it all up and setting down new drainage, that patch of lawn has improved greatly.

Not sure what your budget is like, but why not do some landscaping in that area and raise of the elevation so the water drains down and off your property?

. We did this walkway in a swampy-ish area of the yard. There were some tree roots but not many. Maybe something like this

Furmonster Mom has something there....same thing happened at our parents house with their septic system. It was very marshy to the point where you couldn't walk in the area. Turns out their septic system was messed-up. Maybe the neighbor's tree roots grew into your pipes?

If you know for sure it's not sewer issues, how about contacting somebody who's really knowledgeable about this kind of stuff. I'd contact a landscaper to start with. You'll have to pay him for his ideas and having him come out, but you don't have to hire him to do the work. And sometimes it's really worth it to get somebody out there who really knows what they're doing. It might not cost all that much. And once you know something more concrete (sorry, no pun intended), you'd be able to figure out what you need to do to fix it. 

Go out to your favorite nursery and talk to somebody there. Take some pictures. At the very least, that person may be able to guide you in the right direction. 

Sneakymom, I love your walkway!

I agree it's best to find out what's making the swamp first. A plumbing company who does perimeter drains and sewage work would be able to figure it out. You really don't know what's in that water, could be anything, and issues like this don't just get better on their own. I don't want to scare you, but there was a story here a few months ago how an old dry cleaner didn't dispose of the fluids properly, and years later the extremely toxic fluids were showing up in people's lawns. There might also be some kind of  structure, building, or tank under your land that is holding water there. I'd recommend using what you'd spend on a walkway to find out the problem and fix it. 

Thanks for the replies!

We don't have a septic tank ; we have a public sewer hook-up.  I think the ground is so junky, drainage-wise.  Before this development was built in the 1970's, it was farm land, probably an orchard.. A neighbor told me that she saw them hauling out good topsoil by the dump truck-load (to re-sell).

Any other ideas for fixing the "swamp" would be appreciated! Thanks!