October 7, 2020
I should imagine that the sandhills of Kansas were once extensive; and, certainly, you can still see the shadow of them throughout the central part of the state, even under the now-leveled wheat and corn fields.
Sandhills State Park is just northeast of Hutchinson, Kansas. Since wildfiles and wildlife are no longer there to restrict the covering to prairie grasses, what's there now includes a generation of trees and other plants that likely would not have been seen 150 years ago (or in any case, not as thick).
Kansas
There are plenty of trails throughout the park, but actually, I don't knew that you need to bother staying on one or another. I'm not so sure the signage is good enough, even if you wanted to. The trails all cross each other, so you really only need a good sense of where you parked so that you can find your way back.
It's October, but there is still plenty of color.
The trails are kept in shape by mowing. In all cases, beneath the fallen leaves and short grass is sand. Strike your heel against the ground, and you'll see nothing but sand.
The Bison are gone, so it makes sense to keep at least some of the prairie dunes covered by just grasses through annual cutting so as not to allow the brush and trees to move in.
It's a beautiful area; I saw not a single person on the trails.