I grew up in the wooded rolling hills of South Central Mississippi, and know my way around a lot of backroads from Jackson to the Gulf Coast. From the time I was a small child, all the way up through my teen years, I traveled the stretch of Hwy 13 that connects Hwy 98 in Columbia, to Hwy 49 between Hattiesburg and Wiggins, MS.
If you come in on the north end, after leaving Columbia you will pass through a small community called Baxterville. There isn’t much in the way of business and commerce in Baxterville, but the last time I rode through there you could still get gassed up and buy yourself a cold drink. I always recommend gassing up before the trip though.
The next little town is Lumberton. There are actually 2 or 3 traffic lights in Lumberton, and a few more places for pit-stops. It lies about halfway between 98 and 49.
There are no mountainous vistas along the way, but it’s a nice ride with plenty of hills, curves and piney woods. Logging, farming and hunting are very popular in that part of the country, so you’ll want to be aware of slower moving vehicles. The sweeping curves and abundant straight-a-ways provide plenty of room to pass though. And even though I didn’t see any last time I rode through there, there’s always a possibility that there may be an occasional patch of dirt on the road from the loggers, farmers and off-roaders.
It is about a 43 mile clip through there from Columbia to Hwy 49, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour, and the road conditions were great the last time I rode it. There isn’t much traffic on this road, and the locals aren’t accustomed to motorcycle traffic, so as always, you’ll need to watch out for the other guy.
The Highway passes just south of the Little Black Creek Water Park and extends into the Desoto National Forest. Both of these places provide for some excellent out-of-the-way camping options.
The last time I rode my Road King on Hwy 13, I filmed the ride. This stretch of road gets a thumbs up from me. Happy Trails!
August 5, 2012- -
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