In Walk 8, the Poets’ Pathway continues north on the other side of Heron Road. This wide, open green space has so many well-maintained, lawn-like areas to explore that you may feel you are in a maze.
 
Between Heron Road and Pleasant Park Road is a stretch of the Alta Vista green space corridor, a sterling example of good city planning coming together with strong citizen-based conservation. The path's route is quite simple. Head north to Grace Street, then east to the backyard fences, then south again to Kilborn Avenue.
 
You can explore other paths in this area. At Kilborn Avenue, west of Featherstone Drive is a tree-planting project, named after Councillor Peter Hume. It is a shining example of the community spirit in the area.
 
Cross Kilborn Avenue, and go through the opening in the fence (it's far to the right), and head up the hill on the dirt path.
 
Keep to the right at the fork in the path. Don't worry too much about taking a wrong turn through here, as all the paths will funnel you in the same general direction.
 
Eventually you will arrive at a small makeshift bridge over a very small stream, on the other side of which will be a 5-way intersection of paths.
  Of the two north-traveling paths on your right, the one to the left should only be taken during dry weather (August-February).
 
The path to the right is much less wet and will bring you out at Pleasant Park Elementary School.
 
 
 
This whole area is a very rich ecologically, and we encourage you to stop and read this sign facing the school’s main entrance.
 
After you have arrived at the school, turn left and head north. Keep to the path adjacent to the woods, and then left again at Pleasant Park Road. The woods are marshy wetlands filled with ash trees.
 
Lovely trilliums and other wildflowers bloom in the spring, and forest birds sing all year. The woods are a beautiful example of nature and humans living together.
 
You have arrived at the Pleasant Park Woods.
 

Much of Ottawa's greenbelt is very wet, and marshy, and therefore much of the Poets' Pathway lies along paths bordering marshy areas where ponds to deal with the ground water have been constructed. (Examples are the holding ponds near Nepean Creek and along the Airport Parkway.)

In the Pleasant Park Woods the city has done a wonderful job of preserving the land in a more natural state, while having many natural paths lead through it.

The end of this walk and the beginning of the next stretch of the Poets’ Pathway is on the north side of the street, just past Linda Lane.