Wisconsin Dells to Marshfield WIS 13 begins at
Interstate 90/
Interstate 94 (I-90/I-94) and passes east through Wisconsin Dells as an urban multilane highway, crossing
US 12 and merging with
WIS 16 and
WIS 23 east through the city. WIS 13 then turns north, while WIS 23 heads east and WIS 16 heads south one mile (1.6 km) east of the city. WIS 13 follows the
Wisconsin River north through
Adams County, passing through
Plainville,
Adams and
Friendship. The highway then crosses
WIS 21 north of Friendship and finally passes through
Cottonville,
Big Flats and
Rome before entering
Wood County. In Wood County, WIS 13 crosses
WIS 73 east of
Nekoosa before entering Wisconsin Rapids. WIS 13 joins
WIS 54 south at the Riverview Expressway, a short bypass of the downtown area. The two highways split west of their join point, and WIS 13 merges with WIS 73 north. At the junction with
WIS 34, WIS 73 turns westerly via West Grand Ave, and WIS 13 continues due northerly concurrent with WIS 34 for approximately before intersecting the
US 10 expressway west of Junction City at exit 204. There, WIS 13 turns to follow
US 10 west toward Marshfield, following the US 10 expressway bypassing Milladore, Blenker, and Auburndale. At exit 186 (CTH-A/Veterans Parkway) on the south side of Marshfield, WIS 13 exits the US 10 expressway to head north into
Marshfield on Veterans Parkway. WIS 13 enters
Marathon County after passing through Marshfield. The four-lane road in Marshfield is also known as Veterans Parkway. This section was built to alleviate congestion in downtown Marshfield along Central Avenue.
Marshfield to Ashland WIS 13 heads northwest to
Spencer where it turns north to follow the Marathon–
Clark county line, passing through
Unity,
Colby and
Abbotsford (where it junctions with
WIS 29) and around
Dorchester. The highway then enters
Taylor County where it passes through
Stetsonville and crosses
WIS 64 on the east side of
Medford. North of Medford, WIS 13 meanders around
Whittlesey,
Chelsea and
Westboro. The highway enters
Price County north of Westboro. In Price County, WIS 13 reaches the
WIS 86 terminus at
Ogema and crosses
US 8 near
Prentice. The highway then turns northwest to
Phillips. The route turns north again out of Phillips to head into
Fifield where
WIS 70 crosses. WIS 13 then meets
WIS 182 at its terminus in
Park Falls before heading northwest out of the county into
Ashland County. WIS 13 passes through
Butternut and
Glidden upon entering the county. northwest of Glidden, the highway joins with
WIS 77 north, and the two highways head north, passing through
Cayuga and split with WIS 77 heading east at
Mellen and WIS 13 heading northwest, passing through
Highbridge,
Minersville and
Marengo. WIS 13 then heads north to
Ashland and joins
US 2 west for and then turns north (as US 2 continues west) along the
Lake Superior shoreline in
Bayfield County Along the Lake Superior shoreline (Ashland to Superior) WIS 13 closely follows the shore of
Chequamegon Bay and passes through
Barksdale,
Washburn and
Bayfield. It is at Bayfield where access to
Madeline Island and the Apostle Island National Lakeshore is available. WIS 13 turns westward at
Red Cliff and follows the shore of Lake Superior, passing through
Cornucopia,
Herbster, and
Port Wing, before entering
Douglas County. One mile after the county line, WIS 13 turns southward to parallel the
Brule River State Forest for five miles (8 km), then turns west again. The highway ends at US 2 and
US 53 southeast of
Superior. == History ==