The state road runs through six counties in central and north-central Indiana mostly through rural farm fields and small towns.

The highway proceeds north on Madison Street, over CSX railroad track, before heading through the northern part of Fortville.

Past Fortville the road enters Madison County and the landscape is mostly farms and fields.

While in Lapel SR 13 has an at-grade crossing with a Central Indiana & Western Railroad track.

SR 13 enters Elwood concurrent with Anderson Street, passing mostly residential properties, before a Norfolk Southern railroad track.

[1][3][4] The road head north entering Grant County passing through farmland and an intersection with SR 26 and US 35/SR 22.

Past Swayzee SR 13 passes through rural Grant County before entering Mier.

While on Manchester Avenue SR 13 is concurrent with Business US 24 and passes mostly commercial and industrial properties.

SR 13 passes through Pierceton concurrent with Main Street and has an at-grade crossing with a Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad track.

On the north end of town SR 13 has an intersection with US 30, before passing through rural Kosciusko County and a traffic signal with Old Road 30 (Lincoln Highway).

After Old Road 30, SR 13 passes the Robert Orr Polygonal Barn, before curving around the east and northeast sides of Kuhn Lake.

SR 13 enters North Webster and is concurrent with Main Street, passing mostly commercial properties.

After North Webster, the road passes on the west side of the Tri-County Fish and Wildlife Area.

The roadway bends northwest and then west, passing between Lake Wawasee, a golf course, and residential landscape.

The road curves and becomes generally northwest–southeast passing through the main commercial area of Syracuse, as Huntington Street.

The street crosses over a CSX railroad track, heading northeast, passing through a residential area south of downtown.

SR 13 passes through downtown and bends, leaving Huntington Street and becoming Indiana Avenue.

SR 13 leaves Middlebury and enters rural Elkhart County, passing through a mixture of woodland, farmland, and residential properties.

This was part of the route that Eastern settlers, having crossed the lakes to Detroit, used after they disembarked to travel south into Indiana.

[21][22] SR 13A was a north–south state road in Kosciusko and Elkhart, running east of Lake Wawasee.

[18][19] Major intersections SR 213 was a short north–south state road in Wabash County, west of North Manchester.

SR 313 was a short north–south state road in Elkhart County, routed between Syracuse and Benton.