To be clear, I prefer gravel on my gravel (cx) bike, and I prefer single track on my mtb, and I prefer road on my road bike. This is diverging away from the thread, but suffice to say that they all scratch different itches. Would you ask someone who enjoys sudoku why they would ever play kakuro or chess? Also, none of my cycling is painful, unless I decide to really push myself hard. I ride my bikes because it is fun and I enjoy it. I'm not a masochist.
My point is simply that the assumption that asphalt is universally preferred to a gravel trail, especially one designed for pedestrians and cyclists, is simply not correct. Where a trail is primarily used for transportation, I think asphalt is clearly preferable for accessibility and winter maintenance, but a lot of trails are primarily recreational, and in those cases I don't think paving is always the best choice.
My point is simply that the assumption that asphalt is universally preferred to a gravel trail, especially one designed for pedestrians and cyclists, is simply not correct. Where a trail is primarily used for transportation, I think asphalt is clearly preferable for accessibility and winter maintenance, but a lot of trails are primarily recreational, and in those cases I don't think paving is always the best choice.