Getting around Darrington with Community Transit
Community Transit is here to get you where you want to go. We are proud to be a part of the Darrington community — we live here, ride here, and drive here. Wherever you need to go in Darrington, feel good about how you get there.
About Darrington
Darrington is a small mountain town in the foothills of the Cascades, located where two rivers once joined in a valley between the Sauk and the Stillaguamish rivers. The Sauk-Suiattle tribe were the first people to settle in the valley and today their tribe headquarters are located in Darrington. Darrington is connected to nearby areas by State Route 530, which runs along the two rivers towards the city of Arlington, located 30 miles to the west.
Town is home to a variety of small logging and lumber companies as well as Hampton Lumber’s state-of-the-art mill. Darrington’s location near the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and scenic rivers make it a popular destination for outdoor recreation.
People traveling to and from the area can ride from Community Transit buses along Route 230, which connects people to the neighboring Smokey Point Transit Center in Arlington. DART paratransit service and Vanpool are also options. The Sauk-Suiattle DC (Darrington-Concrete) Direct Shuttle Bus Service, a program operated by the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, also offers public transportation to residents of the reservation, Darrington, and surrounding communities.
Spanning over 27 miles between the City of Arlington and the Town of Darrington, the Whitehorse Regional Trail follows the path of the former BNSF railroad through the North Stillaguamish River Valley, offering a scenic travel option for people hiking, biking, and riding horseback.
New Zip Shuttle pilot areas now available
Zip Shuttle service areas now include Lake Stevens, Arlington, and Darrington in addition to Alderwood to make getting around even easier!
Popular Destinations
D'Arling Direct shuttle service
Homage's D'Arling Direct, combined with Community Transit’s Route 230 service, gives you more options for travel between Darrington and Arlington on weekdays and weekends.
Community Transit names Roland Behee as Chief Operating Officer and Melissa Cauley as Chief Planning and Development Officer
Community Transit veterans Roland Behee and Melissa Cauley will play key roles on the agency’s Executive Leadership Team following appointments announced today by CEO Ric Ilgenfritz. Behee will serve as Chief Operating Officer and Cauley as Chief Planning and Development Officer.
“Roland Behee and Melissa Cauley’s deep and proven knowledge and dedication to public transportation and the communities of Snohomish County make them unparalleled choices for these key roles in which they will advance system expansions that make our services even more transformative,” Ilgenfritz said.
Behee has served Community Transit for 25 years and Cauley for 16 years. Both have successfully executed their now permanently appointed roles on an acting basis for the last six months. Their accomplishments include preparations to open the new Swift Orange bus rapid transit (BRT) line in spring and to implement transformative network expansions when Sound Transit’s Link light rail extension to Lynnwood opens in September.
Behee — a lifelong Everett resident who previously led the agency’s Planning and Development Department — brings deep knowledge of the agency’s service territory and customers’ needs. Recent leadership accomplishments have included standing up new security and sustainability initiatives while providing executive leadership to the agency’s work to evaluate and procure contracted transit services.
“We have so many committed and amazing employees in Operations,” Behee said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with them and excited to help lead implementation of the transit system improvements we are bringing to Snohomish County.”
After joining Community Transit in 1998 as a geographic information systems coordinator, Behee rose through a series of key roles leading Community Transit’s strategic planning as the agency’s services and ridership greatly expanded. His critical contributions have spanned service planning; development of capital projects, including the agency’s Swift BRT system; asset management; research; and maintaining close coordination with local, regional and state government agencies.
Before joining Community Transit, Behee worked eight years as a planner for the City of Everett. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Western Washington University.
Cauley’s recent successes at Community Transit include leading the agency’s design and construction activities, planning efforts supporting the Community Transit Board’s adoption of Transit Changes in 2024 and Beyond service expansion that will get underway next year, and major improvements to long-range planning and data collection and reporting.
“I am honored to serve our agency leading the amazing Planning and Development Team and to work alongside a talented and dedicated Executive Leadership Team,” Cauley said. “Our work makes a difference in the quality of life for our community, and I am so happy to be a part of that work.”
Cauley grew up in Snohomish County and graduated from Monroe High School. She joined Community Transit in 2007 as the manager of the agency’s grants program, securing critical support for expanding operations, before earning promotions to manage regional programs and projects, including leading the expansion of Community Transit’s Swift BRT network. Her successes led to her appointment as Deputy Director of Planning and Development, and she excelled in leading the department after Behee switched his focus to leading the agency’s operations.
Prior to joining Community Transit, Cauley managed a Planned Parenthood clinic in Marysville, administered grants for the Eastern Washington town of Twisp, and served as executive director of a social service organization in Twisp. Cauley earned a bachelor’s degree in human services from Western Washington University and a master’s in public administration from the University of Washington.
“I am tremendously grateful to Roland and Melissa for their leadership and readiness to continue advancing their critical responsibilities,” Ilgenfritz said. “Their appointments complete our Executive Leadership Team, and I am excited about the depth and balance we now have at the executive level. As we get ready to enter a historic year under their capable leadership, we have the right team in place to achieve an exciting future that we will ensure remains grounded in our values and laser-focused on excellent service.”
