Highway 13 is probably best known for being part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour, but if you travel it from its southern most terminus in the state to its northern end you'll see some of the most beautiful parts of Wisconsin.

The highway starts on the south just outside Wisconsin Dells at I-94. It brings you right through the Dells, with easy access to shopping and some of the best-known attractions of that tourist mecca.

North of the Dells, 13 follows the Wisconsin River. At various points along this route through Adams County, you can catch views of the river and its surrounding scenery.

You pass through Plainville, Adams and Friendship. The mound Friendship Mound sits just to the north of latter town. It was formed from the last glaciers to cover this area during the Ice Age.

Another mound, Roche-A-Cri is located a few miles north of the village. That mound contains the Roche-A-Cri Petroglyphs and is located in the Roche-A-Cri State Park.

You can go to Rome before you enter Wood County on 13. You won't find the Coliseum in this town, but there is some great outdoor recreation in the area. Rome, Wis., also was a fictional town in the television series Picket Fences and in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. But, this real Rome was not that town.

In Wood County, 13 passes by Nekoosa, a paper industry town, and enters Wisconsin Rapids. It skirts the downtown of Rapids, but you might want to leave the highway for a while to check out the various attractions in the town.

North of Rapids, you'll intersect Highway 10, a major east-west road in the state, and head to Marshfield. This town is the largest municipality in Wood County, but also straddles Marathon County.

Marshfield is home to the Marshfield Clinic, Saint Joseph's Hospital and the Central Wisconsin State Fair, as well as the World's Largest Round Barn. The town also is the hometown of Melvin Laird, who served as Richard Nixon's Defense Secretary, former big league player Gary Varsho and Packers' tackle Mark Tauscher.

After it exits Marshfield, 13 follows the Marathon / Clark county line. Stop to pick up some cheese in Colby, the birthplace of Colby cheese. There is a historical marker downtown commemorating the development of the cheese by Joseph Steinwand in the 1880s.

Continue north through Taylor County and into Price County. You'll be traveling through some beautiful Northwoods scenery in this area, with hiking and other outdoor activities all around you.

In Price County, you might want to stop in Phillips to see the Wisconsin Concrete Park, which has been profiled in this column before. Further north on 13, you'll come to Park Falls.

Located primarily in the Chequamegon National Forest, Park Falls is small community divided by the North Fork of the Flambeau River. The Flambeau is a popular destination for fishing, canoeing and whitewater rafting.

You'll enter Ashland County northwest of Park Falls and eventually link up with that Circle Tour route. Highway 13 closely follows the shore of Chequamegon Bay and passes through Barksdale, Washburn and Bayfield.

The latter is a former county seat, lumbering town and commercial fishing community, which today is a tourist and resort destination. There are many restaurants, hotels, bed & breakfasts establishments, specialty shops, and marine services.

At Bayfield, you can go to Madeline Island and the Apostle Island National Lakeshore. Both deserve a Beyond Milwaukee column themselves. You'll see some of the best scenery the Midwest has to offer and, depending on the time of the year, will find ample recreational activities, ranging from hiking to cross country skiing.

Highway 13 turns westward at Redcliff and follows the shore of Lake Superior, passing through Cornucopia and Herbster and entering Douglas County. One mile after the county line, 13 turns southward to parallel the Brule River State Forest for five miles, then turns west again. The highway ends at US 2 and US 53, southeast of Superior.

State highway officials have been considering some changes of the Highway 13 route, primarily in the Wisconsin Dells and Marshfield. You might want to check with WisDOT before setting out so you can avoid any construction and know where any detours might exist.

But, don't let that stop you from taking a drive along Highway 13. You'll feel lucky that you did.