They can be, that would help bring it "closer" to the beaten path somewhat. But also keep in mind guests have the option to skip the first and move on to the second.
Back when they had Bitten, Hunted, and Harvest Hollow for the first or second year? I asked if I could just skip Bitten and go straight to Hunted and Harvest Hollow and the team member was like sure go ahead.
If they were connected like so, my proposed queue can follow the actual pathway and just be themed up.