A gravel cyclist pedals through the Metolius Preserve.

On a remote dirt trail somewhere between Suttle Lake and Camp Sherman, it suddenly hit me.

I was all alone. There was nobody around. The only sounds were the birds and my tires rolling over a pristine path laden with pine needles.

If looking for a fall escape into nature, mountain bikers and gravel cyclists can explore the Metolius Preserve, 1,240 acres of pine, larch and fir forest along Lake Creek northwest of Sisters.

A 14-mile route from Suttle Lake, then through the preserve and back, gives riders a chance to see most of the area. The route can be lengthened with multiple options of other roads and trails, including the 3.6-mile loop around Suttle Lake.

The Metolius Preserve, purchased from private timber companies by the Deschutes Land Trust in 2003 to protect the area, offers a variety of fall colors this time of year.

“It’s so stunning in the fall,” says Sarah Mowry, outreach director for the Deschutes Land Trust. “It’s one of the places in Central Oregon that we get the best fall colors. Right now, the vine maples are peaking. They are so gorgeous. In a couple more weeks, the larch will be turning golden yellow. It’s a glorious time to be out there wandering around and soaking in the fall. It’s always really peaceful out there, too. It’s nice and relaxing. These days it’s hard to find hidden gems like that.”

More than 80 species of birds make their home on the Metolius Preserve, including the white-headed woodpecker, according to deschuteslandtrust.org. Mammals such as elk, deer, black bears, cougars, bobcats, badgers, beavers and otters also inhabit the preserve.

Lake Creek, which runs through the preserve and flows out of Suttle Lake and into the Metolius River, provides habitat for native redband trout, spring chinook salmon and serves as a migratory route to Suttle Lake for sockeye salmon.

The 14-mile route from Suttle Lake and through the Metolius Preserve is a featured route on the gravel cycling website dirtyfreehub.com. Because it has a mix of singletrack and forest roads, the route is ideal for both gravel riders and mountain bikers.

“It’s just spectacular out there,” says Bend’s Linda English, who runs dirtyfreehub.com. “And none of the singletrack is very technical. A few bumps, but nothing bad. There’s a lot of variety. You can start at Camp Sherman or you can start at Suttle Lake.”

On a recent crisp October morning, my plan was to ride the Lake Creek Trail from Suttle Lake down into the Metolius Preserve and back.

After parking at the day-use area at Suttle Lake, I turned onto the Lake Creek singletrack trail, which featured a dazzling display of fall colors and led me under a small overpass of U.S. Highway 20.

The Lake Creek Trail was a fast downhill that eventually turned into doubletrack and took me alongside the picturesque creek.

After a few miles, I turned onto a singletrack trail in the Metolius Preserve, beginning a series of several loops that would allow me to tour most of the trails in the area.

The preserve is well-marked, with many “trail” signs that gave me the confidence I was staying on the right track. Signs also mark the different loops that take riders and hikers through different types of forest, including the Larch Loop, Fir Loop and Pine Loop.

Maps of the area are available at dirtyfreehub.com and deschuteslandtrust.org.

“You go through all the different sections of it, the pine trees and the deciduous trees,” English says. “And then you get a little bit of views of Black Butte. You can see it off in the distance.”

Along the creek, I took in the dazzling red colors of the vine maple, then enjoyed the solitude along the different loops that alternated between singletrack and doubletrack. Several bridges cross the creek in certain areas.

Mowry says that the larch trees — one of the few coniferous trees to change color and lose their needles in the fall — typically begin turning yellow by mid-October.

The Lake Creek and Metolius Preserve Trails can remain rideable into early December before the snow really begins to accumulate.

After looping around the preserve, I turned left back onto the Lake Creek Trail for the climb back toward Suttle Lake.

All told, I rode about 16 miles in about 2 hours, soaking in the fall colors and the autumn solitude.