diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 94004de..11beeb6 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -29,6 +29,24 @@ Format follows [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/) and [Semantic Ver
 > Users upgrading from v1.12.x or earlier will notice noticeably faster panel switching,
 > lower CPU usage during idle operation, and more stable map rendering.
 
+---
+## [1.13.5] - 2026-03-14 — Route back-button and map popup flicker fixes
+
+### Fixed
+- 🛠 **Route page back-button navigated to main menu regardless of origin** — the two fixed navigation buttons (`/` and `/archive`) are replaced by a single `arrow_back` button that calls `window.history.back()`, so the user is always returned to the screen that opened the route page.
+- 🛠 **Map marker popup flickered on every 500 ms update tick** — the periodic `applyContacts` / `applyDevice` calls in `leaflet_map_panel.js` invoked `setIcon()` and `setPopupContent()` on all existing markers unconditionally. `setIcon()` rebuilds the marker DOM element; when a popup was open this caused the popup anchor to detach and reattach, producing visible flickering. Both functions now check `marker.isPopupOpen()` and skip icon/content updates while the popup is visible.
+- 🛠 **Map marker popup appeared with a flicker/flash on first click (main map and route map)** — Leaflet's default `fadeAnimation: true` caused popups to fade in from opacity 0, which on the Raspberry Pi rendered as a visible flicker. Both `L.map()` initialisations (`ensureMap` and `MeshCoreRouteMapBoot`) now set `fadeAnimation: false` and `markerZoomAnimation: false` so popups appear immediately without animation artefacts.
+
+### Changed
+- 🔄 `meshcore_gui/gui/route_page.py` — Replaced two fixed-destination header buttons with a single `arrow_back` button using `window.history.back()`.
+- 🔄 `meshcore_gui/static/leaflet_map_panel.js` — `applyDevice` and `applyContacts` guard `setIcon` / `setPopupContent` behind `isPopupOpen()`. Both `L.map()` calls add `fadeAnimation: false, markerZoomAnimation: false`.
+- 🔄 `meshcore_gui/config.py` — Version bumped to `1.13.5`.
+
+### Impact
+- Back navigation from the route page now always returns to the correct origin screen.
+- Open marker popups are stable during map update ticks; content refreshes on next tick after the popup is closed.
+- Popup opening is instant on both maps; no animation artefacts on low-power hardware.
+
 ---
 ## [1.13.4] - 2026-03-12 — Room Server message classification fix
 
diff --git a/meshcore_gui/config.py b/meshcore_gui/config.py
index cfe4d5b..ab034ac 100644
--- a/meshcore_gui/config.py
+++ b/meshcore_gui/config.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ from typing import Any, Dict, List
 # ==============================================================================
 
 
-VERSION: str = "1.13.4"
+VERSION: str = "1.13.5"
 
 
 # ==============================================================================
diff --git a/meshcore_gui/gui/route_page.py b/meshcore_gui/gui/route_page.py
index 93e97e9..d56374c 100644
--- a/meshcore_gui/gui/route_page.py
+++ b/meshcore_gui/gui/route_page.py
@@ -143,12 +143,8 @@ class RoutePage:
         with ui.header().classes('items-center px-4 py-2 shadow-md'):
             ui.button(
                 icon='arrow_back',
-                on_click=lambda: ui.navigate.to('/'),
-            ).props('flat round dense color=white').tooltip('Back to Dashboard')
-            ui.button(
-                icon='history',
-                on_click=lambda: ui.navigate.to('/archive'),
-            ).props('flat round dense color=white').tooltip('Back to Archive')
+                on_click=lambda: ui.run_javascript('window.history.back()'),
+            ).props('flat round dense color=white').tooltip('Back')
             ui.label('🗺️ MeshCore Route').classes(
                 'text-lg font-bold domca-header-text'
             ).style("font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', monospace")
diff --git a/meshcore_gui/static/leaflet_map_panel.js b/meshcore_gui/static/leaflet_map_panel.js
index a845f4d..dc0000d 100644
--- a/meshcore_gui/static/leaflet_map_panel.js
+++ b/meshcore_gui/static/leaflet_map_panel.js
@@ -81,6 +81,8 @@
       maxZoom: 19,
       zoomControl: true,
       preferCanvas: true,
+      fadeAnimation: false,
+      markerZoomAnimation: false,
     });
 
     const state = {
@@ -289,8 +291,11 @@
     }
 
     state.deviceMarker.setLatLng(latLng);
-    state.deviceMarker.setIcon(icon);
-    state.deviceMarker.setPopupContent(popupHtml);
+    const devicePopupOpen = state.deviceMarker.isPopupOpen();
+    if (!devicePopupOpen) {
+      state.deviceMarker.setIcon(icon);
+      state.deviceMarker.setPopupContent(popupHtml);
+    }
     state.deviceMarker.options.title = '📡 ' + device.name;
   }
 
@@ -318,8 +323,11 @@
       }
 
       existing.setLatLng(latLng);
-      existing.setIcon(markerIcon);
-      existing.setPopupContent(popupHtml);
+      const contactPopupOpen = existing.isPopupOpen();
+      if (!contactPopupOpen) {
+        existing.setIcon(markerIcon);
+        existing.setPopupContent(popupHtml);
+      }
       existing.options.title = markerTitle;
       if (!state.layers.contacts.hasLayer(existing)) {
         state.layers.contacts.addLayer(existing);
@@ -577,6 +585,8 @@
       maxZoom: 19,
       zoomControl: true,
       preferCanvas: true,
+      fadeAnimation: false,
+      markerZoomAnimation: false,
     });
     host.__meshcoreRouteMap = map;