diff --git a/js/angular/directive/menuClose.js b/js/angular/directive/menuClose.js
index fe730b6ba4..e734607059 100644
--- a/js/angular/directive/menuClose.js
+++ b/js/angular/directive/menuClose.js
@@ -18,17 +18,17 @@
  * ```
  */
 IonicModule
-.directive('menuClose', ['$ionicViewSwitcher', function($ionicViewSwitcher) {
+.directive('menuClose', ['$ionicViewSwitcher', '$ionicHistory', function($ionicViewSwitcher, $ionicHistory) {
   return {
     restrict: 'AC',
     link: function($scope, $element, $attr) {
       $element.bind('click', function() {
         var sideMenuCtrl = $element.inheritedData('$ionSideMenusController');
         if (sideMenuCtrl) {
-          // lower priority than navAnimation which allows navTransition
+          // lower priority than navTransition which allows navTransition
           // to override this directive's nextTransition() call
           $ionicViewSwitcher.nextTransition('none');
-          $ionicViewSwitcher.nextShowBack(false);
+          $ionicHistory.resetHistory();
           sideMenuCtrl.close();
         }
       });
diff --git a/js/angular/service/history.js b/js/angular/service/history.js
index f34229db3b..7b7fa2dcf8 100644
--- a/js/angular/service/history.js
+++ b/js/angular/service/history.js
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ function($rootScope, $state, $location, $window) {
   var DIRECTION_NONE = 'none';
 
   var stateChangeCounter = 0;
-  var lastStateId;
+  var lastStateId, setNextAsHistoryRoot;
 
   var viewHistory = {
     histories: { root: { historyId: 'root', parentHistoryId: null, stack: [], cursor: -1 } },
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ function($rootScope, $state, $location, $window) {
           action = null,
           direction = DIRECTION_NONE,
           historyId = hist.historyId,
-          tmp;
+          tmp, x;
 
       if (isAbstractView) {
         // abstract states should not register themselves in the history stack
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ function($rootScope, $state, $location, $window) {
             tmp = getHistoryById(forwardView.historyId);
             if (tmp) {
               // the forward has a history
-              for (var x=tmp.stack.length - 1; x >= forwardView.index; x--) {
+              for (x = tmp.stack.length - 1; x >= forwardView.index; x--) {
                 // starting from the end destroy all forwards in this history from this point
                 tmp.stack[x].destroy();
                 tmp.stack.splice(x);
@@ -420,6 +420,19 @@ function($rootScope, $state, $location, $window) {
         hist.stack.push(viewHistory.views[viewId]);
       }
 
+      if (setNextAsHistoryRoot) {
+        for (x = 0; x < hist.stack.length; x++) {
+          if (hist.stack[x].viewId === viewId) {
+            hist.stack[x].index = 0;
+            hist.stack[x].backViewId = hist.stack[x].forwardViewId = null;
+          } else {
+            delete viewHistory.views[hist.stack[x].viewId];
+          }
+        }
+        hist.stack = [viewHistory.views[viewId]];
+        setNextAsHistoryRoot = false;
+      }
+
       setNavViews(viewId);
 
       hist.cursor = viewHistory.currentView.index;
@@ -539,6 +552,10 @@ function($rootScope, $state, $location, $window) {
       if (currentView) {
         setNavViews(currentView.viewId);
       }
+    },
+
+    resetHistory: function() {
+      setNextAsHistoryRoot = true;
     }
 
   };
diff --git a/js/angular/service/viewSwitcher.js b/js/angular/service/viewSwitcher.js
index cd1c32de49..c1e8062ca5 100644
--- a/js/angular/service/viewSwitcher.js
+++ b/js/angular/service/viewSwitcher.js
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ function($timeout, $compile, $controller, $document, $ionicClickBlock, $ionicCon
   var VIEW_STATUS_STAGED = 'stage';
 
   var transitionCounter = 0;
-  var nextTransition, nextDirection, nextShowBack;
+  var nextTransition, nextDirection;
   ionic.transition = ionic.transition || {};
   ionic.transition.isActive = false;
   var isActiveTimer;
@@ -73,7 +73,6 @@ function($timeout, $compile, $controller, $document, $ionicClickBlock, $ionicCon
     var transition = nextTransition || ionic.DomUtil.cachedAttr(enteringEle, 'view-transition') || state.viewTransition || $ionicConfig.views.transition() || 'none';
     direction = nextDirection || ionic.DomUtil.cachedAttr(enteringEle, 'view-direction') || state.viewDirection || direction || 'none';
     var shouldAnimate = (transition !== 'none' && direction !== 'none');
-    showBack = (nextShowBack === true || nextShowBack === false ? nextShowBack : !!showBack);
 
     return {
       transition: transition,
@@ -83,7 +82,7 @@ function($timeout, $compile, $controller, $document, $ionicClickBlock, $ionicCon
       stateId: enteringView.stateId,
       stateName: enteringView.stateName,
       stateParams: enteringView.stateParams,
-      showBack: showBack
+      showBack: !!showBack
     };
   }
 
@@ -274,7 +273,7 @@ function($timeout, $compile, $controller, $document, $ionicClickBlock, $ionicCon
             }
 
             // remove any references that could cause memory issues
-            nextTransition = nextDirection = nextShowBack = enteringView = enteringEle = leavingEle = null;
+            nextTransition = nextDirection = enteringView = enteringEle = leavingEle = null;
           }
 
         },
@@ -383,10 +382,6 @@ function($timeout, $compile, $controller, $document, $ionicClickBlock, $ionicCon
       nextDirection = val;
     },
 
-    nextShowBack: function(val) {
-      nextShowBack = val;
-    },
-
     getTransitionData: getTransitionData,
 
     viewEleIsActive: function(viewEle, isActiveAttr) {
diff --git a/test/unit/angular/service/viewSwitcher.unit.js b/test/unit/angular/service/viewSwitcher.unit.js
index 726131349b..1fae6f2296 100644
--- a/test/unit/angular/service/viewSwitcher.unit.js
+++ b/test/unit/angular/service/viewSwitcher.unit.js
@@ -90,36 +90,6 @@ describe('Ionic View Switcher', function() {
     expect(d.showBack).toEqual(false);
   }));
 
-  it('should override showBack from view data w/ $ionicViewSwitcher.nextShowBack() setting', inject(function($ionicViewSwitcher) {
-    $ionicViewSwitcher.nextShowBack(true);
-    var d = $ionicViewSwitcher.getTransitionData(null, null, null, null, true);
-    expect(d.showBack).toEqual(true);
-
-    $ionicViewSwitcher.nextShowBack(false);
-    var d = $ionicViewSwitcher.getTransitionData(null, null, null, null, true);
-    expect(d.showBack).toEqual(false);
-
-    $ionicViewSwitcher.nextShowBack(true);
-    d = $ionicViewSwitcher.getTransitionData(null, null, null, null, false);
-    expect(d.showBack).toEqual(true);
-
-    $ionicViewSwitcher.nextShowBack(false);
-    d = $ionicViewSwitcher.getTransitionData(null, null, null, null, false);
-    expect(d.showBack).toEqual(false);
-
-    $ionicViewSwitcher.nextShowBack(true);
-    d = $ionicViewSwitcher.getTransitionData(null, null, null, null, null);
-    expect(d.showBack).toEqual(true);
-
-    $ionicViewSwitcher.nextShowBack(false);
-    d = $ionicViewSwitcher.getTransitionData(null, null, null, null, null);
-    expect(d.showBack).toEqual(false);
-
-    $ionicViewSwitcher.nextShowBack(null);
-    d = $ionicViewSwitcher.getTransitionData(null, null, null, null, true);
-    expect(d.showBack).toEqual(true);
-  }));
-
   it('should get an empty entering element with an empty navViewElement', inject(function($ionicViewSwitcher) {
     var navViewElement = angular.element('<div class="view-container">');
     var switcher = $ionicViewSwitcher.create(null, navViewElement, {}, {});