Take a walk through some Mat-Su history on the Arboretum Loop. Back in 1986, many species of old-weather pines such as Norway pine, Blue spruce, Siberian fir, Scotch pine, Jack pine, Lodgepole pine, Douglas fir and others were planted as an experiment. As MatSu College transitioned away from having an agricultural focus, the arboretum was largely forgotten and native boreal vegetation began to grow in around the non-native trees. There has been some recent effort to identify and protect the trees, and the far end of the loop now features an observation deck that looks out over Okenson Pond with Lazy Mountain and Matanuska Peak in the background.

Getting to the observation deck and back is around 1 mile, and the trail is significantly less strenuous than the adjacent Hilly Loop. A large parking area is available behind Snodgrass Hall on MatSu College Campus, though campus hours vary and the gate may be closed.