Hank Seemann, the deputy director of Humboldt County’s Public Works Department, writes your Lost Coast Outpost with a curious geographic postulate. 

Here it is: 

There exists no location on terra firma where one may stand and view the entirety of Humboldt Bay. 

In other words: Unless you somehow get up into the air, the most you can ever see is part of the bay at a time. Sometimes a big part. Sometimes a small part. Never the entire thing. Not from any spot on land.

This seems true! Seemann knows more about Humboldt County geography than most and we can’t think of any counterexamples, so we’re gonna go ahead and assume it’s true until someone proves us wrong.

But given all that, Seemann wonders, where is the best place to view Humboldt Bay? Which vista does Humboldt most favor? He would like the mighty LoCO Pollz electorate to weigh in on this topic, and he offers the list of nominees that you will find right after the following two caveats.

CAVEAT #1: LoCO has added two locations on the Eureka Waterfront Trail and another Old Town location to Seemann’s list so as to obscure his blatant anti-Eureka prejudice.

CAVEAT #2: We’re talking about GREATER Humboldt Bay, here — Arcata Bay and South Bay and Humboldt Bay all put together. LoCO could sense a few pedants in the crowd getting very excited, drooling from the corners of the mouth at the chance to weaponize some trivial information in their possession, but you can go ahead and miss us with that.

OK. Vote!

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Cal Poly Humboldt: Founders Hall.

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Cal Poly Humboldt: Behavior and Social Sciences Building.

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Cal Poly Humboldt: Where the Campus Apartments were torn down in July 2025, near the Van Duzer Theatre.

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Wildberries Marketplace: Inside the enclosed patio area.

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Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary: Parking area at the end of South I Street.

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Highway 255: Samoa Bridges.

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Woodley Island: At the fisherman memorial statue (“Ernie”).

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Woodley Island: At Café Marina.

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Highway 101 Indianola Overpass along the Eureka-Arcata corridor.

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Some particular point up on Kneeland Road or Fickle Hill Road.

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Humboldt Bay Trail, where the trail reaches a modest summit on the levee behind the Brainard mill site.

?? %

Carson Mansion observation tower.

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Humboldt County Courthouse: Clerk-Recorder Office (Fifth Floor).

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Old Town: Up on the fourth floor of the new building at Second and E, in the little plaza area behind Rooftop Sushi.

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Eureka Waterfront Trail: Between F and C streets.

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Eureka Waterfront Trail: Out on the Elk River Spit.

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King Salmon: Buhne Point look-out next to the PG&E plant.

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Fields Landing: Jimmy Smith Boat Launch Facility.

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Harold G. Larsen Vista Point, the parking area and historical marker near Spruce Point and Humboldt Hill.

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Humboldt Hill Road, top of the road near the cell towers.

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North Jetty.

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South Jetty.

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Table Bluff, looking over South Spit.

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“I have a write-in candidate that I will share in the comments!”