For a confident road cyclist it is usually a better experience to be on an actual road than a cycle path even though you have to manage vehicular traffic.

The city I grew up in used to have lots of rail routes and they were converted into mixed use paths, some paved, others gravel.

It's so much nicer to enjoy a car free path, where you don't have the sounds, smells and brake dust to breath from cars. More trees on a path than a road.

I am a good cyclist, I ride in downtown Toronto, but if I want to space out and let my mind really wander, a path is orders of magnitude better than a actual road.

There is no benifit to navigating traffic and risking injury. More relax and free to stop or slow and take notes.

There is nothing better about being on a road with cars vs, in a nice park or path.

Eh. Not the op, but calm backroads are perfect for such rides. Good enough surface so no need to scan it for the better line as on gravel roads or offroad. Little traffic. And cars are much more predictable than the chaos of bike paths.