best?  most economical? functional?  It is all a preference call.  What do the neighboring homes have?  do you want to standout or blend in?  Who is paying and how soon can the work be done.  Great question.  not sure if we have to worry about snow in our area but drainage might be a factor.  Not nice to have puddles forming anywhere.

Fred, I would go with what is the most practical solution. In addition to the comments here, perhaps the local contractor will have some valuable input. 

I used to have Asphalt when I moved in.  Long driveway with a steep incline.  Switched to cement a few years ago, looks MUCH better now.  Cost a pretty penny, but was worth it.

I think pavers would be too expensive. Maybe pavers in the frontal portion of the house & then the rest blacktop.  

Down there blacktop or concrete, here in the summer blacktop and in the winter snow!

It may depend on what area of the country you are in. But here in NH Asphalt is the best. Concrete gets chewed up by using salt in the winter. PAvers will go up and down with frost in the ground come winter. Gravel becomes a mud pit in spring and pea stone makes great projectiles with a snow blower. 

I prefer concrete, with with the description you gave, I think gravel will be the most economical solution. I'd do a concrete area at the top around the property. 

Hi Fred... I couldn't even begin to opine on this. Each of the options has it's own benefits and disadvantages... and both budget and climate need to be taken into account, as well.

My first thought would be concrete, easier to shovel, and when you said a tad steep, was also thinking heated driveway!   

from your descrption sounds like gravel may be the best choice and more economical also.

in a hilly area where there is sometimes ice and snow paved isn't always the best solution, sometimes gravel is.  You won't get patches of black ice that will make you slide like you would with asphalt or concrete.  We have some "steeper" lots around the lake that remain gravel on parts of them for that reason.

I'd do a combination of Crush and run on a good base, and concrete where needed on steep sections.

Fred,

In Napa, we had a very long driveway that wound up on the hilltop where our home was. We had asphalt. On both sides were fields. it was the best solution for the place.

400 feet and steep.
The choice will be budget based followed by the material best suited for durability. Pavers are preferred because they do not have the same storm water management problems present with non-permiable surfaces. Clearly storm water management is an issue that becomes very localized.

Wow 400 feet on an incline. Asphalt if you can afford it might be the most durable. Concrete will likely be cost prohibitive.

I suspect that your choice, Fred Griffin Tallahassee Real Estate, will be driven by a combination of what you most like and how much you want to spend. 

Stone and get a small tractor with an attachment to regularly grade it back into shape

Expense comes to mind on this subject. Do we go for cosmetic or function? Perhaps the pad should be a nice finish and the driveway gravel? Combos? The steep part needs pondering. Snow? Rain? Traction? 

I wouldn't use pavers in the mountains but, I would think that asphalt would be a more durable material, considering the climate.

Asphalt has been my lean to for several reasons but mainly for its versatility & cost especially when it has been given a well prepared base.

How much do you want to spend?

How steep is the slope?

And How much snow do you get there?

In town we like concrete or blacktop

In the rural areas we generally just work with gravel.

I would look at what others are using. I have no idea what is best

I would get 3 or more contractor opinions. Also, talk to some of the neighbors with different driveways is you can. In our area of NC most of our homes have concrete driveways. They do tend to crack over time as the clay soil shifts. In more rural areas I've seen gravel, asphalt, concrete or a combination. For instance, a home might have a long gravel drive (costs) and a concrete parking pad or shorter driveway as you get closer to the house. In the Blue Ridge mountains is it colder and they have a little more accumulating snow so that is definitely a consideration.

Contact a few contractors to come out and take a look Fred. If it is steep in a few places, gravel is not a good choice in my opinion.