Robert Green wrote:
The local government insists that no cars or vehicles be parked on
unpaved ground. I'm planning to put pea stone down and wonder what
sort of preparation is required.

When my neighbor did this, they just dumped a LOT of the stone on the
ground and spread it out. As you can imagine, stones went everywhere
and the area was impossible to walk through because you would sink . . . ,

How much would it/should it take to create a "pad" for a minivan? . . . ,

If you go to one or two places that sell stone, gravel, etc., and ask them,
they will have the answer. You just tell them what you want it for and how
big of an area you want to cover (how many square feet), they will tell you
what you need (or what your choices are), how much it will cost, what they
charge to deliver it, etc. They'll know that you want something that
compacts together (like "crushed stone", or whatever it is called) and not
something that stays loose like you neighbor chose to get.

How thick? -- I don't know. If it were me, I'd probably just ask them how
much I would need for a certain size space (such as 10 feet by 20 feet) and
2 inches thick. That will give you an idea of the cost. You may need more
than 2 inches thick, but if it were me, I would start with that knowing that
I could add more later.

Let us know what you find out and what the cost is.