Interstate 95 to Newton Grove

US 13 begins at a hybrid interchange incorporating elements of a cloverleaf, a directional T, and a diamond, consisting of a junction with I-95 (exit 58) and I-295 (Fayetteville Outer Loop) near Fayetteville in Cumberland County. It quickly reduces its lane count from the four of the I-295 freeway to two lanes with dirt shoulders. It bears eastward, passing through sparsely developed forest and farmlands and quickly crossing the county border and entering Sampson County. The route turns slightly northeast and passes through Spivey's Corner, where the road intersects US 421, otherwise known as Spivey's Corner Highway.

Nearing Newton Grove, US 13 passes over I-40 with no direct access. The route then enters the small town and is interrupted by a large roundabout which brings three routes—itself, North Carolina Highway 50 (NC 50) along Raleigh Street from the west and Mount Olive Drive from the east, and US 701 along Main Street from the north and Clinton Street from the south—to a central point in the city.

Newton Grove to Goldsboro

Continuing north from Newton Grove, US 13 enters Wayne County, traveling more easterly through more farmland and forests. After several miles, it curves northeast and meets US 117 at an intersection. Here, it turns north on the four-lane, divided highway and begins to travel around the west side of Goldsboro, the beginning of a partial beltway around the city. Before turning east again, US 13 leaves US 117 at an at-grade intersection, the latter of which upgrades into a freeway. US 117 travels along with US 13.

US 13 circles around the city on a four-lane, divided freeway alignment after another at-grade intersection, immediately interchanging with NC 581. Shortly after, it meets US 70 at a partial cloverleaf interchange, and US 70 joins the other two routes on its path east. The next interchange sends US 117 north at a partial trumpet interchange; US 117 continues north until it intersects US 301. US 13 and US 70 continue east, next interchanging NC 111. The road interchanges Wayne Memorial Drive and Spence Avenue before curving southward. The freeway then interchanges with Berkeley Boulevard, where US 13 leaves. US 70 continues on the freeway, while US 13 turns northeast on Berkeley Boulevard, leaving the Goldsboro area.

Goldsboro to US 64

US 13 continues northeast, passing through one last community of Goldsboro before entering open fields and forests once again and entering Greene County. Outside Snow Hill, NC 58 joins US 13 and becomes Kingold Boulevard. US 13 leaves Kingold Boulevard once in the center of town, continuing northeast via Contentnea Boulevard.

Contentnea Boulevard outside the city meets an intersection with US 258 and NC 903, which join US 13. The other side of the four-way intersection continues as NC 91. NC 903 leaves after two curves of the road, leaving US 13 and US 258 to continue northeast through farmland. US 13 leaves US 258 after a stretch, turning east to meet and run concurrent with US 264, Dickinson Avenue. This arrangement continues until Greenville, where US 264 leaves, and US 13 bisects the city on Memorial Drive, forming concurrencies with NC 43, NC 903, and NC 11. The concurrency eventually drops NC 43 and later picks up NC 33 and drops it, also dropping NC 903 before it heads northward. Still a four-lane divided road, it bypasses the town of Bethel before it meets a diamond interchange with the US 64 freeway in the corner of Edgecombe County. US 13 turns east onto this freeway, while NC 11 continues northward.

US 64 to Virginia

US 13 and US 64 travel eastward to Williamston. The roadway curves around the south and east sides of the city, where US 17 joins and US 64 leaves. US 13/US 17 continue north on a four lane alignment until Williamston, where it bypasses the town to the west. On the north side, though, US 13 leaves at an interchange on North King Street, traveling north on a two-lane road, while US 17 carries the freeway east towards the ocean.

The road continues through the farm and forest medium until it enters Ahoskie on city streets, forming concurrencies with NC 42 and NC 561. These leave in the city before US 13 exits, finally crossing into Gates County along with US 158. The concurrency travels for a few miles, the roads separating before the Virginia state border. Here, US 13 continues into Virginia as Whaleyville Boulevard.

Scenic byways

Blue-Gray Scenic Byway is an 82-mile (132 km) byway from Four Oaks to Trenton. US 13 overlap a short four-mile (6.4 km) section of the byway, from Bentonville Road to Grantham School Road, northeast of Newton Grove. The byway is noted for its Civil War history.^[2]

Edenton-Windsor Loop is an 87-mile (140 km) is a double loop byway connecting the cities of Edenton and Windsor. US 13 and US 13 Business (US 13 Bus.) together form a short 2.7-mile (4.3 km) section of the loop, in Windsor. The byway is noted for historical homes in Edenton, the Sans Souci Ferry, the scenic river and coastal views, and history.^[2]

Lafayette's Tour is a 173-mile (278 km) byway from Halifax to Lynch's Corner, in the Great Dismal Swamp. US 13 overlap a short four-mile (6.4 km) section of the byway; from US 258, near Winton, to NC 137. The byway is noted and named after the French General Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, who visited the area in 1825. It is also noted for the Parker Island Cable Ferry, swamps/bogs, and history.^[2]