Yale is an unincorporated community in Cowlitz County, Washington, northeast of the city of Woodland. Yale is located 22.4 miles (36.0 km) northeast of Woodland along Washington State Route 503 and situated between Yale Lake and Lake Merwin, both reservoirs on the Lewis River. The rock-fill hydro-electric Yale Dam is nearby. Named for Yale University, the only school teaching forestry in the 19th century, the Yale community is part of the Woodland School District, a K-12 school district of about 2,200 students.