In early July, as many as 30,000 campers will converge at Oregon's Malheur National Forest for the annual Rainbow Family Gathering, a counterculture event that evokes the free-spirited 1960s.

The event will run July 1-7, according to a Thursday social media announcement. It will happen in a meadow about 20 miles northwest of Seneca, near the John Day River.

The gathering is organized by The Rainbow Family of Living Light, and according to the U.S. Forest Service, participants in this year's event are already beginning to arrive.

The Rainbow Family is a loose-knit group of people without leadership or organization who participate in a national gathering once a year. Attendees come from across the country. Since 1972, the event has taken place on a different national forest during a two-week period surrounding the Fourth of July holiday. Last year it was held in Vermont.

"We are working closely with the local community to raise awareness about the event and plan accordingly before the majority of participants arrive," said Ryan Nehl, Agency Administrator and Malheur National Forest Deputy Forest Supervisor. "Ensuring public safety, minimizing impacts to local communities, and protecting natural resources will be our top priorities."

While the gathering is meant to champion values of peace and love, it can have a dark side. The large number of attendees can strain local resources, particularly in a remote area where there isn't the infrastructure to deal with large groups, and past gatherings have included drug arrests and run-ins with police.

The group's unofficial website includes directions to the event, along with a short list of happenings during the gathering, including a July Fourth Circle for Peace.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.

-- Grant Butler

503-221-8566; @grantbutler