LA to San Luis Obispo???
 

How is the drive on Highway 101? How long would it take and is it very twisty/hilly in that section? What would it be like to drive it in the late afternoon/early evening?? We are trying to decide whether or not to stay over there on our way up the coast to SF with a stop off at Hearst Castle and another overnight stop in Carmel - thanks!!

101 is not twisty or hilly. Hwy 1 is however. If you are planning a stop at Hearst Castle, you will be on Hwy 1. If you decide to go that way, leave earlier and stop at the Elephant seal viewing area. It is an experience that you will never forget. This is the mating time and you can see how huge the seals are. The area is slightly north of Hearst castle and you wont miss it. If you continue North on 1 you will see some breathtaking views, possibly even the California condors. An overnight is Carmel would be a nice stop. It will take you longer than 101 but if the day is nice it will be worth it.

There is a somewhat twisty/ hilly section on Cuesta Grade which is just north of San Luis Obispo. If you are cutting over to Highway 1 at SLO, you won't even go through that section.

Once you're out of the LA basin, 101 is a beautiful drive. One of the most beautiful drives anywhere, imo! I've driven it countless times, and never considered it difficult. Honestly!

Oh, I would not suggest leaving LA in the late afternoon/ early evening if it's a Mon - Fri.. Traffic can be counted on to be very bad.

Definitely a nice drive - not twisty like Hwy 1 through Big Sur. In fact, Hwy 101 is a freeway between LA and SLO. I think it is about 3 hours from LA to SLO, more depending on where in LA you start from or if you hit traffic.

To get to Hearst Castle, you can either take Hwy 1 from SLO or you can cut over to Hwy 1 from 101 further north - I think the Hwy is 33, but double check the map to make sure.

I would most definitely recommend taking Hwy 1 up to Carmel rather than 101 because the Big Sur coast is some of the most magnificent coastline around. Hwy 101 is faster and a fine road, but the scenery doesn't compare to the scenery along the coast.

Ditto J Correa, re: Hwy. 1, Big Sur. Scenery equal in drama & glory to anything anywhere in the world, imo!