The GAF Picture Trail
If you’ve been paying attention to my posts, you know that I really like the Kodak Photo Spots located around the parks.
I shared some Walt Disney World spots here and some Disneyland spots here. We even had a Disneyland Paris spot!
My wife found this 1974 Walt Disney World Information Guide (Winter/Spring 1974) on Ebay a while ago. She knows about my love of picture spots and the description mentioned a photo trail. When it arrived, we noticed the middle spread was a GAF Photo Trail map.
GAF was the Official Film of Walt Disney World (and Disneyland) for most of the 1970s. Kodak was an original Disneyland sponsor until GAF took over in 1970. Polaroid has also been an official film sponsor, too!
GAF describes the Photo Trail:
Follow the GAF Photo Trail for outstanding scenic pictures in the Magic Kingdom. The picture spots on the map have been carefully researched and selected as the best locations for taking memorable pictures. Each spot has been marked by a Photo Trail sign providing useful information for colorful and exciting movies and still pictures. Photo Trail spots have been located at the hotels and other scenic areas around Walt Disney World. Watch for the blue picture spot signs.
That is very cool. If you could find someone with photos from the trail it would be interesting to compare those images from the 70s to pictures take on trail sites today.
That is so so cool!! I love the photo spots, or point photo as we DLP’ers like to call it ;). But what a unique piece of WDW History.
I meant to take a picture of a Photo Spot at Alton Towers (English Amusement Park) when I was there – it said ‘Photo Point – Create Magical Moments’!
I know, I know…I need to get these…what a slacker I am! Thanks for the great reminder George…
Amazing what you can learn here… I’ll agree with Ryan – it would be neat to compare the locations across the decades!
So I’m coming across this article a few years late, but I love the idea of a Photo Trail. Gives me a great story idea…
We ran across this while looking for what the heck GAF stood for on a sign in one of my Dad’s slides from, I think, 1976. It’s in front of Pinocchio Village Haus. I’ll send it to you if you let me know where to send it.
We’re going for Magic Kingdom’s 50th and I had the idea to try to recreate my dad’s slides from our trips in 1972 and 1976. I bought a camera that was around then (from a company called Petri that’s no longer around) and figure I’ll get some EktaChrome slide film and try my hand at doing then and now’s