diff --git a/packages/gatsby-link/index.d.ts b/packages/gatsby-link/index.d.ts
index 039dc625bd465..c2a76e17bb95a 100644
--- a/packages/gatsby-link/index.d.ts
+++ b/packages/gatsby-link/index.d.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import * as React from "react";
 import { NavLinkProps } from "react-router-dom";
 
 export interface GatsbyLinkProps extends NavLinkProps {
-  to: string;
   onClick?: (event: any) => void
   className?: string
 }
diff --git a/packages/gatsby-link/src/__tests__/index.js b/packages/gatsby-link/src/__tests__/index.js
index f79aa0645fcd8..0c926a4e20322 100644
--- a/packages/gatsby-link/src/__tests__/index.js
+++ b/packages/gatsby-link/src/__tests__/index.js
@@ -1,11 +1,17 @@
+import React from "react"
+import ReactDOM from "react-dom"
+import { MemoryRouter } from "react-router-dom"
+
 const getInstance = (props, pathPrefix = ``) => {
   Object.assign(global.window, {
     __PREFIX_PATHS__: pathPrefix ? true : false,
     __PATH_PREFIX__: pathPrefix,
   })
 
+  const context = { router: { history: {} } }
+
   const Link = require(`../`).default
-  return new Link(props)
+  return new Link(props, context)
 }
 
 const getNavigateTo = () => {
@@ -27,8 +33,9 @@ const getWithPrefix = (pathPrefix = ``) => {
 describe(`<Link />`, () => {
   it(`does not fail to initialize when __PREFIX_PATHS__ is not defined`, () => {
     expect(() => {
+      const context = { router: { history: {} } }
       const Link = require(`../`).default
-      const link = new Link({}) //eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
+      const link = new Link({}, context) //eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
     }).not.toThrow()
   })
 
@@ -39,7 +46,7 @@ describe(`<Link />`, () => {
         to,
       })
 
-      expect(instance.state.to).toEqual(to)
+      expect(instance.state.to.pathname).toEqual(to)
     })
 
     /*
@@ -60,6 +67,74 @@ describe(`<Link />`, () => {
     })
   })
 
+  describe(`the location to link to`, () => {
+    global.___loader = {
+      enqueue: jest.fn(),
+    }
+
+    it(`accepts to as a string`, () => {
+      const location = `/courses?sort=name`
+
+      const node = document.createElement(`div`)
+      const Link = require(`../`).default
+
+      ReactDOM.render(
+        <MemoryRouter>
+          <Link to={location}>link</Link>
+        </MemoryRouter>,
+        node
+      )
+
+      const href = node.querySelector(`a`).getAttribute(`href`)
+
+      expect(href).toEqual(location)
+    })
+
+    it(`accepts a location "to" prop`, () => {
+      const location = {
+        pathname: `/courses`,
+        search: `?sort=name`,
+        hash: `#the-hash`,
+        state: { fromDashboard: true },
+      }
+
+      const node = document.createElement(`div`)
+      const Link = require(`../`).default
+
+      ReactDOM.render(
+        <MemoryRouter>
+          <Link to={location}>link</Link>
+        </MemoryRouter>,
+        node
+      )
+
+      const href = node.querySelector(`a`).getAttribute(`href`)
+
+      expect(href).toEqual(`/courses?sort=name#the-hash`)
+    })
+
+    it(`resolves to with no pathname using current location`, () => {
+      const location = {
+        search: `?sort=name`,
+        hash: `#the-hash`,
+      }
+
+      const node = document.createElement(`div`)
+      const Link = require(`../`).default
+
+      ReactDOM.render(
+        <MemoryRouter initialEntries={[`/somewhere`]}>
+          <Link to={location}>link</Link>
+        </MemoryRouter>,
+        node
+      )
+
+      const href = node.querySelector(`a`).getAttribute(`href`)
+
+      expect(href).toEqual(`/somewhere?sort=name#the-hash`)
+    })
+  })
+
   it(`navigateTo is called with correct args`, () => {
     getNavigateTo()(`/some-path`)
 
diff --git a/packages/gatsby-link/src/index.js b/packages/gatsby-link/src/index.js
index 0065f651d54a8..853298429fc49 100644
--- a/packages/gatsby-link/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/gatsby-link/src/index.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import React from "react"
 import { Link, NavLink } from "react-router-dom"
 import PropTypes from "prop-types"
+import { createLocation as cL, createPath } from "history"
 
 let pathPrefix = `/`
 if (typeof __PREFIX_PATHS__ !== `undefined` && __PREFIX_PATHS__) {
@@ -16,6 +17,12 @@ function normalizePath(path) {
   return path.replace(/^\/\//g, `/`)
 }
 
+function createLocation(path, history) {
+  const location = cL(path, null, null, history.location)
+  location.pathname = withPrefix(location.pathname)
+  return location
+}
+
 const NavLinkPropTypes = {
   activeClassName: PropTypes.string,
   activeStyle: PropTypes.object,
@@ -45,7 +52,7 @@ const handleIntersection = (el, cb) => {
 }
 
 class GatsbyLink extends React.Component {
-  constructor(props) {
+  constructor(props, context) {
     super()
     // Default to no support for IntersectionObserver
     let IOSupported = false
@@ -53,8 +60,12 @@ class GatsbyLink extends React.Component {
       IOSupported = true
     }
 
+    const { history } = context.router
+    const to = createLocation(props.to, history)
+
     this.state = {
-      to: withPrefix(props.to),
+      path: createPath(to),
+      to,
       IOSupported,
     }
     this.handleRef = this.handleRef.bind(this)
@@ -62,12 +73,14 @@ class GatsbyLink extends React.Component {
 
   componentWillReceiveProps(nextProps) {
     if (this.props.to !== nextProps.to) {
+      const to = createLocation(nextProps.to, history)
       this.setState({
-        to: withPrefix(nextProps.to),
+        path: createPath(to),
+        to,
       })
       // Preserve non IO functionality if no support
       if (!this.state.IOSupported) {
-        ___loader.enqueue(this.state.to)
+        ___loader.enqueue(this.state.path)
       }
     }
   }
@@ -75,7 +88,7 @@ class GatsbyLink extends React.Component {
   componentDidMount() {
     // Preserve non IO functionality if no support
     if (!this.state.IOSupported) {
-      ___loader.enqueue(this.state.to)
+      ___loader.enqueue(this.state.path)
     }
   }
 
@@ -85,7 +98,7 @@ class GatsbyLink extends React.Component {
     if (this.state.IOSupported && ref) {
       // If IO supported and element reference found, setup Observer functionality
       handleIntersection(ref, () => {
-        ___loader.enqueue(this.state.to)
+        ___loader.enqueue(this.state.path)
       })
     }
   }
@@ -116,7 +129,7 @@ class GatsbyLink extends React.Component {
           ) {
             // Is this link pointing to a hash on the same page? If so,
             // just scroll there.
-            let pathname = this.state.to
+            let pathname = this.state.path
             if (pathname.split(`#`).length > 1) {
               pathname = pathname
                 .split(`#`)
@@ -124,7 +137,7 @@ class GatsbyLink extends React.Component {
                 .join(``)
             }
             if (pathname === window.location.pathname) {
-              const hashFragment = this.state.to
+              const hashFragment = this.state.path
                 .split(`#`)
                 .slice(1)
                 .join(`#`)
@@ -139,7 +152,7 @@ class GatsbyLink extends React.Component {
             // loaded before continuing.
             if (process.env.NODE_ENV === `production`) {
               e.preventDefault()
-              window.___navigateTo(this.state.to)
+              window.___navigateTo(this.state.path)
             }
           }
 
@@ -157,7 +170,7 @@ GatsbyLink.propTypes = {
   ...NavLinkPropTypes,
   innerRef: PropTypes.func,
   onClick: PropTypes.func,
-  to: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
+  to: PropTypes.oneOfType([PropTypes.string, PropTypes.object]).isRequired,
 }
 
 GatsbyLink.contextTypes = {
@@ -167,5 +180,5 @@ GatsbyLink.contextTypes = {
 export default GatsbyLink
 
 export const navigateTo = pathname => {
-  window.___navigateTo(withPrefix(pathname))
+  window.___navigateTo(pathname)
 }