Its boundaries according to the Alta Vista Community Association are that part of Alta Vista Ward south of Smyth Road in the north, north of Walkley Road and east of the Rideau River (and Bank Street), and west of the "greenspace underneath Haig Drive".

[2] However, the name is ambiguous, as there are several sub-neighbourhoods in this area, (see list below), as the neighbourhood could refer to the ward as a whole, down to the core Alta Vista area, (which could be defined as south of Pleasant Park Road, north of Heron Road, and west of the eastern greenspace corridor), centred on Alta Vista Drive.

Alta Vista Drive is a major street running through the neighbourhood, and shares its name.

It also has a vast amount of greenspace and parks, much of which is part of the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor Environmental Assessment Ottawa East Community Association.

The OC Transpo Transitway also runs through Alta Vista, with two stations in the neighbourhood itself (Pleasant Park and Riverside) as well as two just outside (Billings Bridge and Smyth), serving as a vital transit link to the rest of the city.