diff --git a/narratives/test_simultaneous-tree-updates.md b/narratives/test_simultaneous-tree-updates.md
index 5380f08a5..0ff00a892 100644
--- a/narratives/test_simultaneous-tree-updates.md
+++ b/narratives/test_simultaneous-tree-updates.md
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ Check that both the branches and tips update.
 # [P3: Zoom into clade A1b _and_ change color](http://localhost:4000/flu/seasonal/h3n2/ha/3y?d=tree&label=clade:A1b)
 Check that the coloring of the branches and tips update as we zoom in.
 
+# [P3b: Zoom in slightly more via "zoom to selected"](http://localhost:4000/flu/seasonal/h3n2/ha/3y?d=tree&f_clade_membership=A1b/186D,A1b/197R,A1b/94N&treeZoom=selected)
+
+We're now recreating the functionality of filtering to clades A1b/186D, A1b/197R and A1b/94N then clicking "zoom to selected"
+
 # [P4: Lots of simultaneous changes](http://localhost:4000/flu/seasonal/h3n2/ha/3y?c=lbi&d=tree&dmin=2017-01-01&f_region=North%20America&label=clade:3c2.A&m=div)
 * Zoomed out to near the root (clade 3c2.A)
 * Changed the horizontal scale to divergence
diff --git a/src/actions/recomputeReduxState.js b/src/actions/recomputeReduxState.js
index 734646a1e..96f7c54d0 100644
--- a/src/actions/recomputeReduxState.js
+++ b/src/actions/recomputeReduxState.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { cloneDeep } from 'lodash';
 import { numericToCalendar, calendarToNumeric } from "../util/dateHelpers";
 import { reallySmallNumber, twoColumnBreakpoint, defaultColorBy, defaultGeoResolution, defaultDateRange, nucleotide_gene, strainSymbol, genotypeSymbol } from "../util/globals";
 import { calcBrowserDimensionsInitialState } from "../reducers/browserDimensions";
-import { getIdxMatchingLabel, calculateVisiblityAndBranchThickness } from "../util/treeVisibilityHelpers";
+import { getIdxMatchingLabel, calculateVisiblityAndBranchThickness, getFilteredAndIdxOfFilteredRoot } from "../util/treeVisibilityHelpers";
 import { constructVisibleTipLookupBetweenTrees } from "../util/treeTangleHelpers";
 import { getDefaultControlsState, shouldDisplayTemporalConfidence } from "../reducers/controls";
 import { countTraitsAcrossTree, calcTotalTipsInTree } from "../util/treeCountingHelpers";
@@ -587,15 +587,23 @@ const checkAndCorrectErrorsInState = (state, metadata, query, tree, viewingNarra
   return state;
 };
 
-const modifyTreeStateVisAndBranchThickness = (oldState, zoomSelected, controlsState, dispatch) => {
+const modifyTreeStateVisAndBranchThickness = (oldState, query, controlsState, dispatch) => {
   /* calculate new branch thicknesses & visibility */
   let newIdxRoot = oldState.idxOfInViewRootNode;
-  if (zoomSelected) {
+
+  if (typeof query.label==="string") {
     // Check and fix old format 'clade=B' - in this case selectionClade is just 'B'
-    const [labelName, labelValue] = zoomSelected.split(":");
+    const [labelName, labelValue] = query.label.split(":");
     const cladeSelectedIdx = getIdxMatchingLabel(oldState.nodes, labelName, labelValue, dispatch);
-    oldState.selectedClade = zoomSelected;
+    oldState.selectedClade = query.label;
     newIdxRoot = applyInViewNodesToTree(cladeSelectedIdx, oldState);
+    delete query.treeZoom;
+  } else if (query.treeZoom==="selected") {
+    // zoom to selected requires filters to be applied to tree to calculate the appropriate root
+    // Note that these are re-calculated by `calculateVisiblityAndBranchThickness`
+    const {idxOfFilteredRoot} = getFilteredAndIdxOfFilteredRoot(oldState, controlsState, oldState.nodes.map(() => true));
+    newIdxRoot = applyInViewNodesToTree(idxOfFilteredRoot, oldState);
+    if (!idxOfFilteredRoot) delete query.treeZoom;
   } else {
     oldState.selectedClade = undefined;
     newIdxRoot = applyInViewNodesToTree(0, oldState);
@@ -831,12 +839,12 @@ export const createStateFromQueryOrJSONs = ({
   }
 
   /* if query.label is undefined then we intend to zoom to the root */
-  tree = modifyTreeStateVisAndBranchThickness(tree, query.label, controls, dispatch);
+  tree = modifyTreeStateVisAndBranchThickness(tree, query, controls, dispatch);
 
   if (treeToo && treeToo.loaded) {
     treeToo.nodeColorsVersion = tree.nodeColorsVersion;
     treeToo.nodeColors = calcNodeColor(treeToo, controls.colorScale);
-    treeToo = modifyTreeStateVisAndBranchThickness(treeToo, undefined, controls, dispatch);
+    treeToo = modifyTreeStateVisAndBranchThickness(treeToo, {}, controls, dispatch);
     controls = modifyControlsViaTreeToo(controls, treeToo.name);
     treeToo.tangleTipLookup = constructVisibleTipLookupBetweenTrees(tree.nodes, treeToo.nodes, tree.visibility, treeToo.visibility);
   }
@@ -912,7 +920,7 @@ export const createTreeTooState = ({
   treeToo.debug = "RIGHT";
   controls = modifyControlsStateViaTree(controls, tree, treeToo, oldState.metadata.colorings);
   controls = modifyControlsViaTreeToo(controls, secondTreeUrl);
-  treeToo = modifyTreeStateVisAndBranchThickness(treeToo, undefined, controls, dispatch);
+  treeToo = modifyTreeStateVisAndBranchThickness(treeToo, {}, controls, dispatch);
 
   /* calculate colours if loading from JSONs or if the query demands change */
   const colorScale = calcColorScale(controls.colorBy, controls, tree, treeToo, oldState.metadata);
diff --git a/src/actions/tree.js b/src/actions/tree.js
index 6518652de..32d0c0c0f 100644
--- a/src/actions/tree.js
+++ b/src/actions/tree.js
@@ -111,6 +111,15 @@ export const updateVisibleTipsAndBranchThicknesses = (
       visibilityToo: dispatchObj.visibilityToo
     });
 
+    /* We set a flag for the URL middleware here */
+    if (root[0]!== undefined) {
+      if (tree.idxOfFilteredRoot===root[0]) {
+        dispatchObj.zoomToSelectedQuery = true;
+      } else {
+        dispatchObj.zoomToSelectedQuery = false;
+      }
+    }
+
     /* D I S P A T C H */
     dispatch(dispatchObj);
     updateEntropyVisibility(dispatch, getState);
diff --git a/src/middleware/changeURL.js b/src/middleware/changeURL.js
index 53799a603..2d50d4770 100644
--- a/src/middleware/changeURL.js
+++ b/src/middleware/changeURL.js
@@ -157,7 +157,17 @@ export const changeURLMiddleware = (store) => (next) => (action) => {
     }
     case types.UPDATE_VISIBILITY_AND_BRANCH_THICKNESS: {
       // query.s = action.selectedStrain ? action.selectedStrain : undefined;
-      query.label = action.cladeName ? action.cladeName : undefined;
+      if (action.cladeName) {
+        query.label = action.cladeName;
+        query.treeZoom = undefined; // we preferentially restore state from clade (branch) label
+      } else {
+        query.label = undefined;
+        if (action.zoomToSelectedQuery===true) {
+          query.treeZoom="selected"; // setting a string variable allows for future expansion
+        } else if (action.zoomToSelectedQuery===false) {
+          query.treeZoom=undefined;
+        }
+      }
       break;
     }
     case types.MAP_ANIMATION_PLAY_PAUSE_BUTTON:
diff --git a/src/util/treeVisibilityHelpers.js b/src/util/treeVisibilityHelpers.js
index d6e0d5570..49f1ec242 100644
--- a/src/util/treeVisibilityHelpers.js
+++ b/src/util/treeVisibilityHelpers.js
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ const getInView = (tree) => {
  * - controls.filters (redux) is a dict of trait name -> values
  * - filters (in this code) is a list of filters to apply
  *   e.g. [{trait: "country", values: [...]}, ...] */
-const getFilteredAndIdxOfFilteredRoot = (tree, controls, inView) => {
+export const getFilteredAndIdxOfFilteredRoot = (tree, controls, inView) => {
   if (!tree.nodes) {
     console.error("getFiltered() ran without tree.nodes");
     return null;