Arcata We made Arcata our home base for a larger exploration of the area, heading north during the days for redwood trees and water. Arcata is home to Cal State Humboldt, a polytechnic in the CSU system with around 10K students. Note that hotel rooms may fill quickly if you are attempting to visit at the start or end of a school year. Downtown Arcata has a prominent main square of park, surrounded by shops and restaurants. This is still a small town place; we noted that one o