diff --git a/public/app/features/trails/DataTrail.tsx b/public/app/features/trails/DataTrail.tsx
index a7a284c9589..68f044923e3 100644
--- a/public/app/features/trails/DataTrail.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/trails/DataTrail.tsx
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ export class DataTrail extends SceneObjectBase<DataTrailState> {
   };
 }
 
-function getTopSceneFor(metric?: string) {
+export function getTopSceneFor(metric?: string) {
   if (metric) {
     return new MetricScene({ metric: metric });
   } else {
diff --git a/public/app/features/trails/DataTrailsHistory.tsx b/public/app/features/trails/DataTrailsHistory.tsx
index f5def4ad5b1..c562b85cd30 100644
--- a/public/app/features/trails/DataTrailsHistory.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/trails/DataTrailsHistory.tsx
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import {
 } from '@grafana/scenes';
 import { useStyles2, Tooltip, Stack } from '@grafana/ui';
 
-import { DataTrail, DataTrailState } from './DataTrail';
+import { DataTrail, DataTrailState, getTopSceneFor } from './DataTrail';
 import { VAR_FILTERS } from './shared';
 import { getTrailFor, isSceneTimeRangeState } from './utils';
 
@@ -44,7 +44,22 @@ export class DataTrailHistory extends SceneObjectBase<DataTrailsHistoryState> {
     const trail = getTrailFor(this);
 
     if (this.state.steps.length === 0) {
+      // We always want to ensure in initial 'start' step
       this.addTrailStep(trail, 'start');
+
+      if (trail.state.metric) {
+        // But if our current trail has a metric, we want to remove it and the topScene,
+        // so that the "start" step always displays a metric select screen.
+
+        // So we remove the metric and update the topscene for the "start" step
+        const { metric, ...startState } = trail.state;
+        startState.topScene = getTopSceneFor(undefined);
+        this.state.steps[0].trailState = startState;
+
+        // But must add a secondary step to represent the selection of the metric
+        // for this restored trail state
+        this.addTrailStep(trail, 'metric');
+      }
     }
 
     trail.subscribeToState((newState, oldState) => {