Yale is second nearest community, after Cougar, to Mount St. Helens, which lies to its northeast. The eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980 was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States. For many years climbers attempting to scale Mount St. Helens registered at Jack's Store until it burned down in December 2007. Yale has several view locations for Mount St. Helens.