If you haven't been to Tahoe before, I should point out that Lake level is about 6200 ft above sea-level. The mountain ridges around Lake Tahoe are 8500-9500 ft, so if you plan on ridge hiking you should get into town 24-48 hours before that so that you acclimate.
If you are planning on driving from the airport, you can fly into Reno, Sacramento, or even San Francisco or Oakland. The drive from the Bay area is 5-6 hours, and if you wanted to side-trip through wine country or the gold-rush areas, plan extra time for that.
