diff --git a/incorporealcms/pages.py b/incorporealcms/pages.py
index 6d3dd48..d64c610 100644
--- a/incorporealcms/pages.py
+++ b/incorporealcms/pages.py
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ md = markdown.Markdown(extensions=['meta', 'tables'])
 def display_page(path):
     """Get the file contents of the requested path and render the file."""
     resolved_path = resolve_page_file(path)
-    parent_navs = generate_parent_navs(resolved_path)
     logger.debug("received request for path '%s', resolved to '%s'", path, resolved_path)
     try:
         with app.open_instance_resource(resolved_path, 'r') as entry_file:
             logger.debug("file '%s' found", resolved_path)
+            parent_navs = generate_parent_navs(path)
             mtime = datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getmtime(entry_file.name), get_localzone())
             entry = entry_file.read()
     except FileNotFoundError:
@@ -52,17 +52,19 @@ def resolve_page_file(path):
 
 def generate_parent_navs(path):
     """Create a series of paths/links to navigate up from the given path."""
-    parent_dir = os.path.dirname(path)
-    if parent_dir == 'pages':
+    # derive additional path/location stuff based on path
+    resolved_path = resolve_page_file(path)
+    parent_dir = os.path.dirname(resolved_path)
+    parent_path = '/'.join(path[:-1].split('/')[:-1]) + '/'
+
+    logger.debug("path: '%s'; parent path: '%s'; resolved path: '%s'; parent dir: '%s'",
+                 path, parent_path, resolved_path, parent_dir)
+
+    if path in ('index', '/'):
         return [(app.config['TITLE_SUFFIX'], '/')]
-    elif path.endswith('index.md'):
-        # if we're on an index.md, don't link to ourselves as we're our own parent
-        return generate_parent_navs(parent_dir)
     else:
-        parent_path = f'{parent_dir}/'.replace('pages/', '/', 1)
-        resolved_parent_path = resolve_page_file(parent_path)
-        with app.open_instance_resource(resolved_parent_path, 'r') as entry_file:
+        with app.open_instance_resource(resolved_path, 'r') as entry_file:
             entry = entry_file.read()
         _ = Markup(md.convert(entry))
-        parent_name = " ".join(md.Meta.get('title')) if md.Meta.get('title') else os.path.basename(parent_dir)
-        return generate_parent_navs(parent_dir) + [(parent_name, parent_path)]
+        page_name = " ".join(md.Meta.get('title')) if md.Meta.get('title') else os.path.basename(resolved_path)
+        return generate_parent_navs(parent_path) + [(page_name, path)]
diff --git a/tests/test_pages.py b/tests/test_pages.py
index f0a6f8f..71c126d 100644
--- a/tests/test_pages.py
+++ b/tests/test_pages.py
@@ -48,20 +48,27 @@ def test_page_has_modified_timestamp(client):
 
 def test_generate_page_navs_index(app):
     with app.app_context():
-        assert generate_parent_navs('pages/index.md') == [('incorporeal.org', '/')]
+        assert generate_parent_navs('/') == [('incorporeal.org', '/')]
+
+
+def test_generate_page_navs_alternate_index(app):
+    with app.app_context():
+        assert generate_parent_navs('index') == [('incorporeal.org', '/')]
 
 
 def test_generate_page_navs_subdir_index(app):
     with app.app_context():
-        assert generate_parent_navs('pages/subdir/index.md') == [('incorporeal.org', '/')]
+        assert generate_parent_navs('/subdir/') == [('incorporeal.org', '/'), ('index.md', '/subdir/')]
 
 
 def test_generate_page_navs_subdir_real_page(app):
     with app.app_context():
-        assert generate_parent_navs('pages/subdir/page.md') == [('incorporeal.org', '/'), ('subdir', '/subdir/')]
+        assert generate_parent_navs('/subdir/page') == [('incorporeal.org', '/'), ('index.md', '/subdir/'),
+                                                        ('Page', '/subdir/page')]
 
 
 def test_generate_page_navs_subdir_with_title_parsing_real_page(app):
     with app.app_context():
-        assert generate_parent_navs('pages/subdir-with-title/page.md') == [('incorporeal.org', '/'),
-                                                                           ('SUB!', '/subdir-with-title/')]
+        assert generate_parent_navs('/subdir-with-title/page') == [('incorporeal.org', '/'),
+                                                                   ('SUB!', '/subdir-with-title/'),
+                                                                   ('page.md', '/subdir-with-title/page')]