Green Mountain Club

Maintaining & Protecting Vermont's Long Trail Since 1910

  • About
    • The Green Mountain Club
      • Bylaws
      • Annual Reports
      • Strategic Plan
    • Visitor Center
    • Barnes Camp Visitor Center
    • GMC Rental Cabins
    • Board of Directors
    • GMC Staff
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Corporate Sponsors
    • Our Business Partners
    • Contact Us
  • Hiking
    • Trail Updates
    • Winter Hiking
      • Hiking 101
    • Trail Systems
      • The Long Trail
      • Appalachian Trail in Vermont
      • Kingdom Heritage Trails in the Northeast Kingdom
    • HikeVT
    • Accessible Trails around Vermont
    • Thru-Hike the Long Trail
    • Hiking in Groups
    • Trip Planning
    • Mud Season
    • Fall Hiking
    • Guidebooks, Maps & Gear
  • Conservation
    • Protecting the Long Trail
    • Land Conservation
    • Field Programs
    • Burrows Trail Project
    • Regional Partnerships
  • Education & Events
    • Events & Workshops
    • Service Learning & Group Outings
    • Calendar of Events & Outings
    • Leave No Trace
    • Wildlife along the Trails
  • News
    • Trail Updates
    • Blog
    • Long Trail News
    • Press Releases
  • Volunteer
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Volunteer Reports
    • Application
  • Donate
    • Ways to Give
    • Long Trail Legacy Campaign
    • Donate Now
  • Members
    • Become a Member
    • Your Membership Benefits
    • Join a Section
    • Business Membership
    • Annual Meeting
  • Shop

Annual Rainbow Gathering on the Green Mountain National Forest

June 22, 2016 by Alicia DiCocco Leave a Comment

Bi

The Rainbow Family of Living Light is currently holding their 2016 Annual Rainbow Gathering in the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF), on the Manchester Ranger District. They are gathering on Forest Road 10 in Mount Tabor, close to the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail. The Green Mountain Club asks hikers to use caution and patience when traveling through the area. Hikers seeking day or overnight hikes may want to consider an alternate location until after the gathering has dissipated.

The gathering could draw anywhere from 10,000-20,000 people. Participants will continue to arrive for the next couple of weeks with the peak population during week of July 4.

The Forest Service issued this statement about the event on their website:

RUTLAND, VT. (June 13, 2016) – Forest Service officials announced today that The Rainbow Family of Living Light have chosen to hold their 2016 Annual Rainbow Gathering in the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF), on the Manchester Ranger District. The gathering site will be located on Forest Road 10 in Mount Tabor. Participants come from all walks of life and the gathering could draw anywhere from 10,000-20,000 people. Participants will continue to arrive for the next couple of weeks with the peak population during week of July 4.

 The Rainbow Family is a self-described loose knit group of people without leadership or organization who participate in a national gathering once a year. They come from all across the country. Since 1972, the event has taken place on a different national forest annually during a two-week period surrounding the Fourth of July holiday and has grown in size, attracting up to 10,000+ people.

 Any event of this size can have significant impacts on traffic, communities, local resources, residents and visitors. Local businesses can expect to see large numbers of Rainbow Family participants visiting stores, buying food and supplies along routes to the gathering site. Areas are expected to be very congested during that time.

 The gathering will take place under the conditions and guidelines provided through a Forest Service Operating Plan.The Operating Plan will address public health and safety concerns, minimize impacts to natural resources, and outline post-event rehabilitation procedures.

 Because of the magnitude of this event, the Forest Service utilizes an agency National Incident Management Team (NIMT) in coordination with local Forest Service personnel to manage the impacts of this event. The Forest Service NIMT has arrived on the GMNF and is working with various local agencies to address public health and safety, while managing and minimizing adverse impacts to natural resources.

For updates on the Rainbow Gathering, you can visit the US Forest Service website.

Filed Under: News

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Leave No Trace, Then and Now: a Timeline of Trail Etiquette Language

March 1, 2023

This article previously appeared in the Winter 2022 Long Trail News, under the headline “Leave No Trace: Then and Now.” It was written by Sasha Weilbaker. To celebrate 100 years of the Long Trail News, we read back issues to learn what they said about trail stewardship and etiquette. The seven … Read more

About Mud Season HikeVT Trail Recommendations Become a Member Trip Planning Trail Maps Volunteer Opportunities

Mission

The Green Mountain Club is the founder and maintainer of the Long Trail - the oldest long distance hiking trail in America. Established in 1910 to build this trail stretching the length of Vermont, the club now also maintains the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and trails in the Northeast Kingdom in its mission to "make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in the life of the people." Read more...

Featured Sponsors

jfghr-lohgo-topo OG
jfghr-lohgo-topo OG
Lenny's Shoe & Apparel logo
Lennys-Logo
Athletic_Primary_WhiteBG
Athletic_Primary_WhiteBG
Sunsoil logo
SUNSOIL_black_Large
Sunset Lake CBD logo
sunset lake cbd web logo
bbco
concept2

Connect

4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road
Waterbury Center, Vermont 05677
802.244.7037 | Email GMC

Click here for current hours.
Email us for hiking advice. 

Copyright © 2023 Green Mountain Club · All Rights Reserved. · Site by Earthlogic.