WIS 13 is part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour from its northern/western terminus to Ashland at is eastern junction with U.S. Highway 2 (US 2).

The road also provides access to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore off the Lake Superior shoreline at Bayfield.

The highway then crosses WIS 21 three miles (4.8 km) north of Friendship and finally passes through Cottonville, Big Flats and Rome before entering Wood County.

This section was built to alleviate congestion in downtown Marshfield along Central Avenue.

[6] The highway then enters Taylor County where it passes through Stetsonville and crosses WIS 64 on the east side of Medford.

WIS 13 then heads north to Ashland and joins US 2 west for two miles (3.2 km) and then turns north (as US 2 continues west) along the Lake Superior shoreline in Bayfield County[9] WIS 13 closely follows the shore of Chequamegon Bay and passes through Barksdale, Washburn and Bayfield.

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.

[11] With some variation due to realignments over time, the original 1918 routing this highway followed much of today's WIS 13, beginning at what was then Kilbourn (present-day Wisconsin Dells), travelling north through Adams, Grand Rapids (now Wisconsin Rapids), Marshfield, Prentice and Ashland, ending in Bayfield.

Additionally, WIS 13 was extended westerly from Bayfield first to Port Wing, then into Superior then across the border to Duluth.