Buddy Holly Crash Site, Clear Lake IA

Thanks so much to the family that allows access and, I guess, maintains the site. Its a national treasure, especially for those of us who remember that sad day.

Very somber hallowed ground right where the music died so many years ago. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper and their pilot are forever memorialized in this space. Luckily the landowner tolerates the frequent visitors that show up here to pay theur respects. Even though it all happened in 1959 most of the people you see here were born well after this tragedy. Worth visiting in the middle of farm country.

If you're a fan of Buddy Holly, rock n roll and history a visit here is the perfect way to cap off a visit to the Surf Ballroom and Museum. It's about a quarter mile walk on a dirt path to the site.

Nice spot to pay homage to rock and roll and American history. Short walk, nice little parking spot, and free! There’s a tip jar though if one feels obliged to help the farmer keep this spot open and available.

Definitely worth a stop to see music history if in the area. Nothing grand or attention grabbing, but knowing the story makes it pretty interesting to visit in person.

Visited the Surf Ballroom, Buddy Holly’s last performance. Then drove to the Buddy Holly crash site, located off a dirt road on private property. Special thanks to the property owner who allows access to the crash site.

Really glad we went out there, standing there when it's silent really brings a strong feeling. 1/4 of a mile easy walk to the crash site.

After visiting the Surf Ballroom, I made the 6-mile drive down a dusty dirt road to the the site where Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens died in a plane crash in February 1959. You end up driving down a dirt road until you see a large pair of black glasses on the shoulder of the road. Park here on the shoulder then you have to walk a little over a quarter mile down a dirt path in a corn field to the actual crash site. The path can get really muddy after a rain. The crash site is marked by a small makeshift memorial with the names of those who died here. It is a somber walk but one many music fans have made over the years. While it was not crowded while I was there there were several other visitors making the walk to the site. If you are near Clear Lake you should visit the Surf Ballroom and then make the drive out to the Crash Site.

Make sure you have your GPS set to the site as there are no signs or any mention of the place until you are at it. There is about a half mile of driving on gravel road, so be wary of if your car can handle that. It’s also about a quarter mile walk on uneven dirt and grass to get to the site. It is very surreal and I recommend taking the 15 minutes to check it out. Many people have brought items to leave there, if I knew that I would have brought something too!

The walk into the crash site is just over a quarter mile. The ground is pretty even. Rain could cause issues as it is a dirt path. Once we got to the site, my wife and I paid or respect, as stood in silence, reflecting on the lives lost and wondering what might have been if they hadn't crashed.

I could have cried! One of the best, yet saddest places I have ever visited. You have to walk from the glasses marker to the actual memorial site down a cornfield path but we'll worth it! The path is well maintained and there is parking across the road. Lots of sunglasses and momentos. Hint.bring a marker if you wish to sign the pole. History is amazing however sad!

Yes, in the middle of nowhere amongst the cornfields. Very, very neat. The walk to the site is quite moving. The pilot also had a memorial. One gets taken back in time.

Small memorial in the middle of a few fields. The walk was not bad from the road to the east - muddy, but that's expected after the recent rainfall. Kind of underwhelming but I wasn't sure what to expect so that's on me. It wasn't real clear from the road if there was anything in the field or if people were allowed to go look. There was not a sign barring people/trespassing. I wouldn't go back, or far out of the way to see this, but I was in the area and am glad I went anyway.

A little remote but not hard to find. Thanks to the property owner, the public can visit a significant piece of American history in person. Tread lightly, listen closely and you can feel music in the air during the short walk to the memorial. It is also possible to visit the Surf Ballroom in nearby Clear Lake to visit the museum and stage where the last performance happened.

Not much here but an excellent place to be quiet and contemplate "the day the music died" and what it meant and how much the world changed. I guess it's more about the song then Holly but still a milepost in our cultural history.

Very moving to visit the spot where three legends if Rock 'N Roll died, along with their 21yo charter pilot. Bucket list pilgrimage for me, and well worth braving the cold!

It’s only about 10 mins from the Surf Ballroom. During the colder months make sure to bundle up, it gets especially cold around there due to the fact of having open fields so there’s no tree protection for the crisps winds. It’s a must a go-to place to visit when you are in the area or haven’t been to pay your respects and to understand the history of rock and roll.

Maps leads you to the entrance to the path and then there is about 1/4 mile walk along the fence row where you'll find a memorial. There is no parking available so you have to park on the side of the gravel road.