diff --git a/core/state/dump.go b/core/state/dump.go
index 8294d61b9f2daee4a477b64df038575e5666e2b1..ffa1a7283240c949fe4ec93a41130a02cec2a66d 100644
--- a/core/state/dump.go
+++ b/core/state/dump.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/trie"
 )
 
 type DumpAccount struct {
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ func (self *StateDB) RawDump() Dump {
 		Accounts: make(map[string]DumpAccount),
 	}
 
-	it := self.trie.Iterator()
+	it := trie.NewIterator(self.trie.NodeIterator(nil))
 	for it.Next() {
 		addr := self.trie.GetKey(it.Key)
 		var data Account
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ func (self *StateDB) RawDump() Dump {
 			Code:     common.Bytes2Hex(obj.Code(self.db)),
 			Storage:  make(map[string]string),
 		}
-		storageIt := obj.getTrie(self.db).Iterator()
+		storageIt := trie.NewIterator(obj.getTrie(self.db).NodeIterator(nil))
 		for storageIt.Next() {
 			account.Storage[common.Bytes2Hex(self.trie.GetKey(storageIt.Key))] = common.Bytes2Hex(storageIt.Value)
 		}
diff --git a/core/state/iterator.go b/core/state/iterator.go
index 170aec983354166385dd9ef4ee4b8fcbfc4ea840..a8a2722ae3ba1eaa172f4fb396da2bc5ad5d6d23 100644
--- a/core/state/iterator.go
+++ b/core/state/iterator.go
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func (it *NodeIterator) step() error {
 	}
 	// Initialize the iterator if we've just started
 	if it.stateIt == nil {
-		it.stateIt = it.state.trie.NodeIterator()
+		it.stateIt = it.state.trie.NodeIterator(nil)
 	}
 	// If we had data nodes previously, we surely have at least state nodes
 	if it.dataIt != nil {
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ func (it *NodeIterator) step() error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	it.dataIt = trie.NewNodeIterator(dataTrie)
+	it.dataIt = dataTrie.NodeIterator(nil)
 	if !it.dataIt.Next(true) {
 		it.dataIt = nil
 	}
diff --git a/core/state/state_object.go b/core/state/state_object.go
index 7d3315303731714ff7d1ff212ade79fbbcecbb9f..dcad9d06815c54cd2c1238076e2bab6baa310e67 100644
--- a/core/state/state_object.go
+++ b/core/state/state_object.go
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ func (self *stateObject) setState(key, value common.Hash) {
 }
 
 // updateTrie writes cached storage modifications into the object's storage trie.
-func (self *stateObject) updateTrie(db trie.Database) {
+func (self *stateObject) updateTrie(db trie.Database) *trie.SecureTrie {
 	tr := self.getTrie(db)
 	for key, value := range self.dirtyStorage {
 		delete(self.dirtyStorage, key)
@@ -213,6 +213,7 @@ func (self *stateObject) updateTrie(db trie.Database) {
 		v, _ := rlp.EncodeToBytes(bytes.TrimLeft(value[:], "\x00"))
 		tr.Update(key[:], v)
 	}
+	return tr
 }
 
 // UpdateRoot sets the trie root to the current root hash of
@@ -280,7 +281,11 @@ func (c *stateObject) ReturnGas(gas *big.Int) {}
 
 func (self *stateObject) deepCopy(db *StateDB, onDirty func(addr common.Address)) *stateObject {
 	stateObject := newObject(db, self.address, self.data, onDirty)
-	stateObject.trie = self.trie
+	if self.trie != nil {
+		// A shallow copy makes the two tries independent.
+		cpy := *self.trie
+		stateObject.trie = &cpy
+	}
 	stateObject.code = self.code
 	stateObject.dirtyStorage = self.dirtyStorage.Copy()
 	stateObject.cachedStorage = self.dirtyStorage.Copy()
diff --git a/core/state/statedb.go b/core/state/statedb.go
index 0c72fc6b07041fff1954709f8fb8e590b574b40a..3b753a2e67aa13b76a8966ab044e92bb3054e6ad 100644
--- a/core/state/statedb.go
+++ b/core/state/statedb.go
@@ -296,6 +296,17 @@ func (self *StateDB) GetState(a common.Address, b common.Hash) common.Hash {
 	return common.Hash{}
 }
 
+// StorageTrie returns the storage trie of an account.
+// The return value is a copy and is nil for non-existent accounts.
+func (self *StateDB) StorageTrie(a common.Address) *trie.SecureTrie {
+	stateObject := self.getStateObject(a)
+	if stateObject == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	cpy := stateObject.deepCopy(self, nil)
+	return cpy.updateTrie(self.db)
+}
+
 func (self *StateDB) HasSuicided(addr common.Address) bool {
 	stateObject := self.getStateObject(addr)
 	if stateObject != nil {
@@ -481,7 +492,7 @@ func (db *StateDB) ForEachStorage(addr common.Address, cb func(key, value common
 		cb(h, value)
 	}
 
-	it := so.getTrie(db.db).Iterator()
+	it := trie.NewIterator(so.getTrie(db.db).NodeIterator(nil))
 	for it.Next() {
 		// ignore cached values
 		key := common.BytesToHash(db.trie.GetKey(it.Key))
diff --git a/eth/api.go b/eth/api.go
index b386c08b45b8837a684181b503e2dad90f7aada1..61f7bdd92ddedd5d157293058cd45f4907197b5f 100644
--- a/eth/api.go
+++ b/eth/api.go
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"compress/gzip"
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"io/ioutil"
@@ -41,6 +40,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/params"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rpc"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/trie"
 )
 
 const defaultTraceTimeout = 5 * time.Second
@@ -526,59 +526,67 @@ func (api *PrivateDebugAPI) TraceTransaction(ctx context.Context, txHash common.
 	if tx == nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("transaction %x not found", txHash)
 	}
+	msg, context, statedb, err := api.computeTxEnv(blockHash, int(txIndex))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// Run the transaction with tracing enabled.
+	vmenv := vm.NewEVM(context, statedb, api.config, vm.Config{Debug: true, Tracer: tracer})
+	ret, gas, err := core.ApplyMessage(vmenv, msg, new(core.GasPool).AddGas(tx.Gas()))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("tracing failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	switch tracer := tracer.(type) {
+	case *vm.StructLogger:
+		return &ethapi.ExecutionResult{
+			Gas:         gas,
+			ReturnValue: fmt.Sprintf("%x", ret),
+			StructLogs:  ethapi.FormatLogs(tracer.StructLogs()),
+		}, nil
+	case *ethapi.JavascriptTracer:
+		return tracer.GetResult()
+	default:
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("bad tracer type %T", tracer))
+	}
+}
+
+// computeTxEnv returns the execution environment of a certain transaction.
+func (api *PrivateDebugAPI) computeTxEnv(blockHash common.Hash, txIndex int) (core.Message, vm.Context, *state.StateDB, error) {
+	// Create the parent state.
 	block := api.eth.BlockChain().GetBlockByHash(blockHash)
 	if block == nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("block %x not found", blockHash)
+		return nil, vm.Context{}, nil, fmt.Errorf("block %x not found", blockHash)
 	}
-	// Create the state database to mutate and eventually trace
 	parent := api.eth.BlockChain().GetBlock(block.ParentHash(), block.NumberU64()-1)
 	if parent == nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("block parent %x not found", block.ParentHash())
+		return nil, vm.Context{}, nil, fmt.Errorf("block parent %x not found", block.ParentHash())
 	}
-	stateDb, err := api.eth.BlockChain().StateAt(parent.Root())
+	statedb, err := api.eth.BlockChain().StateAt(parent.Root())
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return nil, vm.Context{}, nil, err
 	}
+	txs := block.Transactions()
 
+	// Recompute transactions up to the target index.
 	signer := types.MakeSigner(api.config, block.Number())
-	// Mutate the state and trace the selected transaction
-	for idx, tx := range block.Transactions() {
+	for idx, tx := range txs {
 		// Assemble the transaction call message
-		msg, err := tx.AsMessage(signer)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("sender retrieval failed: %v", err)
-		}
+		msg, _ := tx.AsMessage(signer)
 		context := core.NewEVMContext(msg, block.Header(), api.eth.BlockChain(), nil)
-
-		// Mutate the state if we haven't reached the tracing transaction yet
-		if uint64(idx) < txIndex {
-			vmenv := vm.NewEVM(context, stateDb, api.config, vm.Config{})
-			_, _, err := core.ApplyMessage(vmenv, msg, new(core.GasPool).AddGas(tx.Gas()))
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("mutation failed: %v", err)
-			}
-			stateDb.DeleteSuicides()
-			continue
+		if idx == txIndex {
+			return msg, context, statedb, nil
 		}
 
-		vmenv := vm.NewEVM(context, stateDb, api.config, vm.Config{Debug: true, Tracer: tracer})
-		ret, gas, err := core.ApplyMessage(vmenv, msg, new(core.GasPool).AddGas(tx.Gas()))
+		vmenv := vm.NewEVM(context, statedb, api.config, vm.Config{})
+		gp := new(core.GasPool).AddGas(tx.Gas())
+		_, _, err := core.ApplyMessage(vmenv, msg, gp)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("tracing failed: %v", err)
-		}
-
-		switch tracer := tracer.(type) {
-		case *vm.StructLogger:
-			return &ethapi.ExecutionResult{
-				Gas:         gas,
-				ReturnValue: fmt.Sprintf("%x", ret),
-				StructLogs:  ethapi.FormatLogs(tracer.StructLogs()),
-			}, nil
-		case *ethapi.JavascriptTracer:
-			return tracer.GetResult()
+			return nil, vm.Context{}, nil, fmt.Errorf("tx %x failed: %v", tx.Hash(), err)
 		}
+		statedb.DeleteSuicides()
 	}
-	return nil, errors.New("database inconsistency")
+	return nil, vm.Context{}, nil, fmt.Errorf("tx index %d out of range for block %x", txIndex, blockHash)
 }
 
 // Preimage is a debug API function that returns the preimage for a sha3 hash, if known.
@@ -592,3 +600,48 @@ func (api *PrivateDebugAPI) Preimage(ctx context.Context, hash common.Hash) (hex
 func (api *PrivateDebugAPI) GetBadBlocks(ctx context.Context) ([]core.BadBlockArgs, error) {
 	return api.eth.BlockChain().BadBlocks()
 }
+
+// StorageRangeResult is the result of a debug_storageRangeAt API call.
+type StorageRangeResult struct {
+	Storage storageMap   `json:"storage"`
+	NextKey *common.Hash `json:"nextKey"` // nil if Storage includes the last key in the trie.
+}
+
+type storageMap map[common.Hash]storageEntry
+
+type storageEntry struct {
+	Key   *common.Hash `json:"key"`
+	Value common.Hash  `json:"value"`
+}
+
+// StorageRangeAt returns the storage at the given block height and transaction index.
+func (api *PrivateDebugAPI) StorageRangeAt(ctx context.Context, blockHash common.Hash, txIndex int, contractAddress common.Address, keyStart hexutil.Bytes, maxResult int) (StorageRangeResult, error) {
+	_, _, statedb, err := api.computeTxEnv(blockHash, txIndex)
+	if err != nil {
+		return StorageRangeResult{}, err
+	}
+	st := statedb.StorageTrie(contractAddress)
+	if st == nil {
+		return StorageRangeResult{}, fmt.Errorf("account %x doesn't exist", contractAddress)
+	}
+	return storageRangeAt(st, keyStart, maxResult), nil
+}
+
+func storageRangeAt(st *trie.SecureTrie, start []byte, maxResult int) StorageRangeResult {
+	it := trie.NewIterator(st.NodeIterator(start))
+	result := StorageRangeResult{Storage: storageMap{}}
+	for i := 0; i < maxResult && it.Next(); i++ {
+		e := storageEntry{Value: common.BytesToHash(it.Value)}
+		if preimage := st.GetKey(it.Key); preimage != nil {
+			preimage := common.BytesToHash(preimage)
+			e.Key = &preimage
+		}
+		result.Storage[common.BytesToHash(it.Key)] = e
+	}
+	// Add the 'next key' so clients can continue downloading.
+	if it.Next() {
+		next := common.BytesToHash(it.Key)
+		result.NextKey = &next
+	}
+	return result
+}
diff --git a/eth/api_test.go b/eth/api_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f8d2e9c76496fe9f1c8dc4ed6155ac75b95e99f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/eth/api_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The go-ethereum Authors
+// This file is part of the go-ethereum library.
+//
+// The go-ethereum library is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+// it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
+// the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+// (at your option) any later version.
+//
+// The go-ethereum library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+// but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+// MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
+// GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
+//
+// You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+// along with the go-ethereum library. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+package eth
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/state"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
+)
+
+var dumper = spew.ConfigState{Indent: "    "}
+
+func TestStorageRangeAt(t *testing.T) {
+	// Create a state where account 0x010000... has a few storage entries.
+	var (
+		db, _    = ethdb.NewMemDatabase()
+		state, _ = state.New(common.Hash{}, db)
+		addr     = common.Address{0x01}
+		keys     = []common.Hash{ // hashes of Keys of storage
+			common.HexToHash("340dd630ad21bf010b4e676dbfa9ba9a02175262d1fa356232cfde6cb5b47ef2"),
+			common.HexToHash("426fcb404ab2d5d8e61a3d918108006bbb0a9be65e92235bb10eefbdb6dcd053"),
+			common.HexToHash("48078cfed56339ea54962e72c37c7f588fc4f8e5bc173827ba75cb10a63a96a5"),
+			common.HexToHash("5723d2c3a83af9b735e3b7f21531e5623d183a9095a56604ead41f3582fdfb75"),
+		}
+		storage = storageMap{
+			keys[0]: {Key: &common.Hash{0x02}, Value: common.Hash{0x01}},
+			keys[1]: {Key: &common.Hash{0x04}, Value: common.Hash{0x02}},
+			keys[2]: {Key: &common.Hash{0x01}, Value: common.Hash{0x03}},
+			keys[3]: {Key: &common.Hash{0x03}, Value: common.Hash{0x04}},
+		}
+	)
+	for _, entry := range storage {
+		state.SetState(addr, *entry.Key, entry.Value)
+	}
+
+	// Check a few combinations of limit and start/end.
+	tests := []struct {
+		start []byte
+		limit int
+		want  StorageRangeResult
+	}{
+		{
+			start: []byte{}, limit: 0,
+			want: StorageRangeResult{storageMap{}, &keys[0]},
+		},
+		{
+			start: []byte{}, limit: 100,
+			want: StorageRangeResult{storage, nil},
+		},
+		{
+			start: []byte{}, limit: 2,
+			want: StorageRangeResult{storageMap{keys[0]: storage[keys[0]], keys[1]: storage[keys[1]]}, &keys[2]},
+		},
+		{
+			start: []byte{0x00}, limit: 4,
+			want: StorageRangeResult{storage, nil},
+		},
+		{
+			start: []byte{0x40}, limit: 2,
+			want: StorageRangeResult{storageMap{keys[1]: storage[keys[1]], keys[2]: storage[keys[2]]}, &keys[3]},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		result := storageRangeAt(state.StorageTrie(addr), test.start, test.limit)
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(result, test.want) {
+			t.Fatalf("wrong result for range 0x%x.., limit %d:\ngot %s\nwant %s",
+				test.start, test.limit, dumper.Sdump(result), dumper.Sdump(&test.want))
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/web3ext/web3ext.go b/internal/web3ext/web3ext.go
index 72c2bd99669ff5ebb1c1c2ada2accefdb53de5ed..c9cac125d535013fb9ada01e99a2d5f472636c4b 100644
--- a/internal/web3ext/web3ext.go
+++ b/internal/web3ext/web3ext.go
@@ -345,6 +345,11 @@ web3._extend({
 			call: 'debug_getBadBlocks',
 			params: 0,
 		}),
+		new web3._extend.Method({
+			name: 'storageRangeAt',
+			call: 'debug_storageRangeAt',
+			params: 5,
+		}),
 	],
 	properties: []
 });
diff --git a/light/trie.go b/light/trie.go
index 1440f2fbfdfc778314092c4f49d1fcbb47e05222..2988a16cf3c780dc2287a878a198c68ecf614b27 100644
--- a/light/trie.go
+++ b/light/trie.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package light
 import (
 	"context"
 
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/trie"
 )
@@ -46,26 +47,18 @@ func NewLightTrie(id *TrieID, odr OdrBackend, useFakeMap bool) *LightTrie {
 // retrieveKey retrieves a single key, returns true and stores nodes in local
 // database if successful
 func (t *LightTrie) retrieveKey(ctx context.Context, key []byte) bool {
-	r := &TrieRequest{Id: t.id, Key: key}
+	r := &TrieRequest{Id: t.id, Key: crypto.Keccak256(key)}
 	return t.odr.Retrieve(ctx, r) == nil
 }
 
 // do tries and retries to execute a function until it returns with no error or
 // an error type other than MissingNodeError
-func (t *LightTrie) do(ctx context.Context, fallbackKey []byte, fn func() error) error {
+func (t *LightTrie) do(ctx context.Context, key []byte, fn func() error) error {
 	err := fn()
 	for err != nil {
-		mn, ok := err.(*trie.MissingNodeError)
-		if !ok {
+		if _, ok := err.(*trie.MissingNodeError); !ok {
 			return err
 		}
-
-		var key []byte
-		if mn.PrefixLen+mn.SuffixLen > 0 {
-			key = mn.Key
-		} else {
-			key = fallbackKey
-		}
 		if !t.retrieveKey(ctx, key) {
 			break
 		}
diff --git a/trie/encoding.go b/trie/encoding.go
index 2037118ddfa20260cfdc833f869f1704ac7401f0..e96a786e40a39f6178f1bb13e9ce8190174980ae 100644
--- a/trie/encoding.go
+++ b/trie/encoding.go
@@ -16,49 +16,54 @@
 
 package trie
 
-func compactEncode(hexSlice []byte) []byte {
+// Trie keys are dealt with in three distinct encodings:
+//
+// KEYBYTES encoding contains the actual key and nothing else. This encoding is the
+// input to most API functions.
+//
+// HEX encoding contains one byte for each nibble of the key and an optional trailing
+// 'terminator' byte of value 0x10 which indicates whether or not the node at the key
+// contains a value. Hex key encoding is used for nodes loaded in memory because it's
+// convenient to access.
+//
+// COMPACT encoding is defined by the Ethereum Yellow Paper (it's called "hex prefix
+// encoding" there) and contains the bytes of the key and a flag. The high nibble of the
+// first byte contains the flag; the lowest bit encoding the oddness of the length and
+// the second-lowest encoding whether the node at the key is a value node. The low nibble
+// of the first byte is zero in the case of an even number of nibbles and the first nibble
+// in the case of an odd number. All remaining nibbles (now an even number) fit properly
+// into the remaining bytes. Compact encoding is used for nodes stored on disk.
+
+func hexToCompact(hex []byte) []byte {
 	terminator := byte(0)
-	if hexSlice[len(hexSlice)-1] == 16 {
+	if hasTerm(hex) {
 		terminator = 1
-		hexSlice = hexSlice[:len(hexSlice)-1]
-	}
-	var (
-		odd    = byte(len(hexSlice) % 2)
-		buflen = len(hexSlice)/2 + 1
-		bi, hi = 0, 0    // indices
-		hs     = byte(0) // shift: flips between 0 and 4
-	)
-	if odd == 0 {
-		bi = 1
-		hs = 4
+		hex = hex[:len(hex)-1]
 	}
-	buf := make([]byte, buflen)
-	buf[0] = terminator<<5 | byte(odd)<<4
-	for bi < len(buf) && hi < len(hexSlice) {
-		buf[bi] |= hexSlice[hi] << hs
-		if hs == 0 {
-			bi++
-		}
-		hi, hs = hi+1, hs^(1<<2)
+	buf := make([]byte, len(hex)/2+1)
+	buf[0] = terminator << 5 // the flag byte
+	if len(hex)&1 == 1 {
+		buf[0] |= 1 << 4 // odd flag
+		buf[0] |= hex[0] // first nibble is contained in the first byte
+		hex = hex[1:]
 	}
+	decodeNibbles(hex, buf[1:])
 	return buf
 }
 
-func compactDecode(str []byte) []byte {
-	base := compactHexDecode(str)
+func compactToHex(compact []byte) []byte {
+	base := keybytesToHex(compact)
 	base = base[:len(base)-1]
+	// apply terminator flag
 	if base[0] >= 2 {
 		base = append(base, 16)
 	}
-	if base[0]%2 == 1 {
-		base = base[1:]
-	} else {
-		base = base[2:]
-	}
-	return base
+	// apply odd flag
+	chop := 2 - base[0]&1
+	return base[chop:]
 }
 
-func compactHexDecode(str []byte) []byte {
+func keybytesToHex(str []byte) []byte {
 	l := len(str)*2 + 1
 	var nibbles = make([]byte, l)
 	for i, b := range str {
@@ -69,35 +74,24 @@ func compactHexDecode(str []byte) []byte {
 	return nibbles
 }
 
-// compactHexEncode encodes a series of nibbles into a byte array
-func compactHexEncode(nibbles []byte) []byte {
-	nl := len(nibbles)
-	if nl == 0 {
-		return nil
-	}
-	if nibbles[nl-1] == 16 {
-		nl--
+// hexToKeybytes turns hex nibbles into key bytes.
+// This can only be used for keys of even length.
+func hexToKeybytes(hex []byte) []byte {
+	if hasTerm(hex) {
+		hex = hex[:len(hex)-1]
 	}
-	l := (nl + 1) / 2
-	var str = make([]byte, l)
-	for i := range str {
-		b := nibbles[i*2] * 16
-		if nl > i*2 {
-			b += nibbles[i*2+1]
-		}
-		str[i] = b
+	if len(hex)&1 != 0 {
+		panic("can't convert hex key of odd length")
 	}
-	return str
+	key := make([]byte, (len(hex)+1)/2)
+	decodeNibbles(hex, key)
+	return key
 }
 
-func decodeCompact(key []byte) []byte {
-	l := len(key) / 2
-	var res = make([]byte, l)
-	for i := 0; i < l; i++ {
-		v1, v0 := key[2*i], key[2*i+1]
-		res[i] = v1*16 + v0
+func decodeNibbles(nibbles []byte, bytes []byte) {
+	for bi, ni := 0, 0; ni < len(nibbles); bi, ni = bi+1, ni+2 {
+		bytes[bi] = nibbles[ni]<<4 | nibbles[ni+1]
 	}
-	return res
 }
 
 // prefixLen returns the length of the common prefix of a and b.
@@ -114,15 +108,7 @@ func prefixLen(a, b []byte) int {
 	return i
 }
 
+// hasTerm returns whether a hex key has the terminator flag.
 func hasTerm(s []byte) bool {
-	return s[len(s)-1] == 16
-}
-
-func remTerm(s []byte) []byte {
-	if hasTerm(s) {
-		b := make([]byte, len(s)-1)
-		copy(b, s)
-		return b
-	}
-	return s
+	return len(s) > 0 && s[len(s)-1] == 16
 }
diff --git a/trie/encoding_test.go b/trie/encoding_test.go
index 2f125ef2f8228ad66366ffd71168c4a57a1e1bc8..97d8da1361349fca83aa4831223178dc0f6b470f 100644
--- a/trie/encoding_test.go
+++ b/trie/encoding_test.go
@@ -17,113 +17,88 @@
 package trie
 
 import (
-	"encoding/hex"
+	"bytes"
 	"testing"
-
-	checker "gopkg.in/check.v1"
 )
 
-func TestEncoding(t *testing.T) { checker.TestingT(t) }
-
-type TrieEncodingSuite struct{}
-
-var _ = checker.Suite(&TrieEncodingSuite{})
-
-func (s *TrieEncodingSuite) TestCompactEncode(c *checker.C) {
-	// even compact encode
-	test1 := []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
-	res1 := compactEncode(test1)
-	c.Assert(res1, checker.DeepEquals, []byte("\x11\x23\x45"))
-
-	// odd compact encode
-	test2 := []byte{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
-	res2 := compactEncode(test2)
-	c.Assert(res2, checker.DeepEquals, []byte("\x00\x01\x23\x45"))
-
-	//odd terminated compact encode
-	test3 := []byte{0, 15, 1, 12, 11, 8 /*term*/, 16}
-	res3 := compactEncode(test3)
-	c.Assert(res3, checker.DeepEquals, []byte("\x20\x0f\x1c\xb8"))
-
-	// even terminated compact encode
-	test4 := []byte{15, 1, 12, 11, 8 /*term*/, 16}
-	res4 := compactEncode(test4)
-	c.Assert(res4, checker.DeepEquals, []byte("\x3f\x1c\xb8"))
-}
-
-func (s *TrieEncodingSuite) TestCompactHexDecode(c *checker.C) {
-	exp := []byte{7, 6, 6, 5, 7, 2, 6, 2, 16}
-	res := compactHexDecode([]byte("verb"))
-	c.Assert(res, checker.DeepEquals, exp)
-}
-
-func (s *TrieEncodingSuite) TestCompactHexEncode(c *checker.C) {
-	exp := []byte("verb")
-	res := compactHexEncode([]byte{7, 6, 6, 5, 7, 2, 6, 2, 16})
-	c.Assert(res, checker.DeepEquals, exp)
-}
-
-func (s *TrieEncodingSuite) TestCompactDecode(c *checker.C) {
-	// odd compact decode
-	exp := []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
-	res := compactDecode([]byte("\x11\x23\x45"))
-	c.Assert(res, checker.DeepEquals, exp)
-
-	// even compact decode
-	exp = []byte{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
-	res = compactDecode([]byte("\x00\x01\x23\x45"))
-	c.Assert(res, checker.DeepEquals, exp)
-
-	// even terminated compact decode
-	exp = []byte{0, 15, 1, 12, 11, 8 /*term*/, 16}
-	res = compactDecode([]byte("\x20\x0f\x1c\xb8"))
-	c.Assert(res, checker.DeepEquals, exp)
-
-	// even terminated compact decode
-	exp = []byte{15, 1, 12, 11, 8 /*term*/, 16}
-	res = compactDecode([]byte("\x3f\x1c\xb8"))
-	c.Assert(res, checker.DeepEquals, exp)
+func TestHexCompact(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct{ hex, compact []byte }{
+		// empty keys, with and without terminator.
+		{hex: []byte{}, compact: []byte{0x00}},
+		{hex: []byte{16}, compact: []byte{0x20}},
+		// odd length, no terminator
+		{hex: []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}, compact: []byte{0x11, 0x23, 0x45}},
+		// even length, no terminator
+		{hex: []byte{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}, compact: []byte{0x00, 0x01, 0x23, 0x45}},
+		// odd length, terminator
+		{hex: []byte{15, 1, 12, 11, 8, 16 /*term*/}, compact: []byte{0x3f, 0x1c, 0xb8}},
+		// even length, terminator
+		{hex: []byte{0, 15, 1, 12, 11, 8, 16 /*term*/}, compact: []byte{0x20, 0x0f, 0x1c, 0xb8}},
+	}
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		if c := hexToCompact(test.hex); !bytes.Equal(c, test.compact) {
+			t.Errorf("hexToCompact(%x) -> %x, want %x", test.hex, c, test.compact)
+		}
+		if h := compactToHex(test.compact); !bytes.Equal(h, test.hex) {
+			t.Errorf("compactToHex(%x) -> %x, want %x", test.compact, h, test.hex)
+		}
+	}
 }
 
-func (s *TrieEncodingSuite) TestDecodeCompact(c *checker.C) {
-	exp, _ := hex.DecodeString("012345")
-	res := decodeCompact([]byte{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5})
-	c.Assert(res, checker.DeepEquals, exp)
-
-	exp, _ = hex.DecodeString("012345")
-	res = decodeCompact([]byte{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 16})
-	c.Assert(res, checker.DeepEquals, exp)
-
-	exp, _ = hex.DecodeString("abcdef")
-	res = decodeCompact([]byte{10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15})
-	c.Assert(res, checker.DeepEquals, exp)
+func TestHexKeybytes(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct{ key, hexIn, hexOut []byte }{
+		{key: []byte{}, hexIn: []byte{16}, hexOut: []byte{16}},
+		{key: []byte{}, hexIn: []byte{}, hexOut: []byte{16}},
+		{
+			key:    []byte{0x12, 0x34, 0x56},
+			hexIn:  []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 16},
+			hexOut: []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 16},
+		},
+		{
+			key:    []byte{0x12, 0x34, 0x5},
+			hexIn:  []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 0, 5, 16},
+			hexOut: []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 0, 5, 16},
+		},
+		{
+			key:    []byte{0x12, 0x34, 0x56},
+			hexIn:  []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6},
+			hexOut: []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 16},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		if h := keybytesToHex(test.key); !bytes.Equal(h, test.hexOut) {
+			t.Errorf("keybytesToHex(%x) -> %x, want %x", test.key, h, test.hexOut)
+		}
+		if k := hexToKeybytes(test.hexIn); !bytes.Equal(k, test.key) {
+			t.Errorf("hexToKeybytes(%x) -> %x, want %x", test.hexIn, k, test.key)
+		}
+	}
 }
 
-func BenchmarkCompactEncode(b *testing.B) {
-
-	testBytes := []byte{0, 15, 1, 12, 11, 8 /*term*/, 16}
+func BenchmarkHexToCompact(b *testing.B) {
+	testBytes := []byte{0, 15, 1, 12, 11, 8, 16 /*term*/}
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		compactEncode(testBytes)
+		hexToCompact(testBytes)
 	}
 }
 
-func BenchmarkCompactDecode(b *testing.B) {
-	testBytes := []byte{0, 15, 1, 12, 11, 8 /*term*/, 16}
+func BenchmarkCompactToHex(b *testing.B) {
+	testBytes := []byte{0, 15, 1, 12, 11, 8, 16 /*term*/}
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		compactDecode(testBytes)
+		compactToHex(testBytes)
 	}
 }
 
-func BenchmarkCompactHexDecode(b *testing.B) {
+func BenchmarkKeybytesToHex(b *testing.B) {
 	testBytes := []byte{7, 6, 6, 5, 7, 2, 6, 2, 16}
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		compactHexDecode(testBytes)
+		keybytesToHex(testBytes)
 	}
 }
 
-func BenchmarkDecodeCompact(b *testing.B) {
+func BenchmarkHexToKeybytes(b *testing.B) {
 	testBytes := []byte{7, 6, 6, 5, 7, 2, 6, 2, 16}
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		decodeCompact(testBytes)
+		hexToKeybytes(testBytes)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/trie/errors.go b/trie/errors.go
index 76129a70bf8e5e94af8af4976890fed23d5feec3..e23f9d563ac29ee4e4449a9447fe421b2d2eb10a 100644
--- a/trie/errors.go
+++ b/trie/errors.go
@@ -30,10 +30,6 @@ import (
 //
 // RootHash is the original root of the trie that contains the node
 //
-// Key is a binary-encoded key that contains the prefix that leads to the first
-// missing node and optionally a suffix that hints on which further nodes should
-// also be retrieved
-//
 // PrefixLen is the nibble length of the key prefix that leads from the root to
 // the missing node
 //
@@ -42,7 +38,6 @@ import (
 // such hints in the error message)
 type MissingNodeError struct {
 	RootHash, NodeHash   common.Hash
-	Key                  []byte
 	PrefixLen, SuffixLen int
 }
 
diff --git a/trie/hasher.go b/trie/hasher.go
index 98c3095316f9fe52121a5d86e28c48dee8f5dc1d..85b6b60f5ec9a576672b20542517246c13d4870b 100644
--- a/trie/hasher.go
+++ b/trie/hasher.go
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ func (h *hasher) hashChildren(original node, db DatabaseWriter) (node, node, err
 	case *shortNode:
 		// Hash the short node's child, caching the newly hashed subtree
 		collapsed, cached := n.copy(), n.copy()
-		collapsed.Key = compactEncode(n.Key)
+		collapsed.Key = hexToCompact(n.Key)
 		cached.Key = common.CopyBytes(n.Key)
 
 		if _, ok := n.Val.(valueNode); !ok {
diff --git a/trie/iterator.go b/trie/iterator.go
index 42149a7d387aa1c8a920d2c7d27a079137bbe303..26ae1d5ad73e4bfaaf77e3e2f2f9aef37d3a4b6c 100644
--- a/trie/iterator.go
+++ b/trie/iterator.go
@@ -19,9 +19,13 @@ package trie
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"container/heap"
+	"errors"
+
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 )
 
+var iteratorEnd = errors.New("end of iteration")
+
 // Iterator is a key-value trie iterator that traverses a Trie.
 type Iterator struct {
 	nodeIt NodeIterator
@@ -30,15 +34,8 @@ type Iterator struct {
 	Value []byte // Current data value on which the iterator is positioned on
 }
 
-// NewIterator creates a new key-value iterator.
-func NewIterator(trie *Trie) *Iterator {
-	return &Iterator{
-		nodeIt: NewNodeIterator(trie),
-	}
-}
-
-// FromNodeIterator creates a new key-value iterator from a node iterator
-func NewIteratorFromNodeIterator(it NodeIterator) *Iterator {
+// NewIterator creates a new key-value iterator from a node iterator
+func NewIterator(it NodeIterator) *Iterator {
 	return &Iterator{
 		nodeIt: it,
 	}
@@ -48,7 +45,7 @@ func NewIteratorFromNodeIterator(it NodeIterator) *Iterator {
 func (it *Iterator) Next() bool {
 	for it.nodeIt.Next(true) {
 		if it.nodeIt.Leaf() {
-			it.Key = decodeCompact(it.nodeIt.Path())
+			it.Key = hexToKeybytes(it.nodeIt.Path())
 			it.Value = it.nodeIt.LeafBlob()
 			return true
 		}
@@ -85,25 +82,24 @@ type nodeIteratorState struct {
 	hash    common.Hash // Hash of the node being iterated (nil if not standalone)
 	node    node        // Trie node being iterated
 	parent  common.Hash // Hash of the first full ancestor node (nil if current is the root)
-	child   int         // Child to be processed next
+	index   int         // Child to be processed next
 	pathlen int         // Length of the path to this node
 }
 
 type nodeIterator struct {
 	trie  *Trie                // Trie being iterated
 	stack []*nodeIteratorState // Hierarchy of trie nodes persisting the iteration state
-
-	err error // Failure set in case of an internal error in the iterator
-
-	path []byte // Path to the current node
+	err   error                // Failure set in case of an internal error in the iterator
+	path  []byte               // Path to the current node
 }
 
-// NewNodeIterator creates an post-order trie iterator.
-func NewNodeIterator(trie *Trie) NodeIterator {
+func newNodeIterator(trie *Trie, start []byte) NodeIterator {
 	if trie.Hash() == emptyState {
 		return new(nodeIterator)
 	}
-	return &nodeIterator{trie: trie}
+	it := &nodeIterator{trie: trie}
+	it.seek(start)
+	return it
 }
 
 // Hash returns the hash of the current node
@@ -153,6 +149,9 @@ func (it *nodeIterator) Path() []byte {
 
 // Error returns the error set in case of an internal error in the iterator
 func (it *nodeIterator) Error() error {
+	if it.err == iteratorEnd {
+		return nil
+	}
 	return it.err
 }
 
@@ -161,47 +160,54 @@ func (it *nodeIterator) Error() error {
 // sets the Error field to the encountered failure. If `descend` is false,
 // skips iterating over any subnodes of the current node.
 func (it *nodeIterator) Next(descend bool) bool {
-	// If the iterator failed previously, don't do anything
 	if it.err != nil {
 		return false
 	}
 	// Otherwise step forward with the iterator and report any errors
-	if err := it.step(descend); err != nil {
+	state, parentIndex, path, err := it.peek(descend)
+	if err != nil {
 		it.err = err
 		return false
 	}
-	return it.trie != nil
+	it.push(state, parentIndex, path)
+	return true
 }
 
-// step moves the iterator to the next node of the trie.
-func (it *nodeIterator) step(descend bool) error {
-	if it.trie == nil {
-		// Abort if we reached the end of the iteration
-		return nil
+func (it *nodeIterator) seek(prefix []byte) {
+	// The path we're looking for is the hex encoded key without terminator.
+	key := keybytesToHex(prefix)
+	key = key[:len(key)-1]
+	// Move forward until we're just before the closest match to key.
+	for {
+		state, parentIndex, path, err := it.peek(bytes.HasPrefix(key, it.path))
+		if err != nil || bytes.Compare(path, key) >= 0 {
+			it.err = err
+			return
+		}
+		it.push(state, parentIndex, path)
 	}
+}
+
+// peek creates the next state of the iterator.
+func (it *nodeIterator) peek(descend bool) (*nodeIteratorState, *int, []byte, error) {
 	if len(it.stack) == 0 {
 		// Initialize the iterator if we've just started.
 		root := it.trie.Hash()
-		state := &nodeIteratorState{node: it.trie.root, child: -1}
+		state := &nodeIteratorState{node: it.trie.root, index: -1}
 		if root != emptyRoot {
 			state.hash = root
 		}
-		it.stack = append(it.stack, state)
-		return nil
+		return state, nil, nil, nil
 	}
-
 	if !descend {
 		// If we're skipping children, pop the current node first
-		it.path = it.path[:it.stack[len(it.stack)-1].pathlen]
-		it.stack = it.stack[:len(it.stack)-1]
+		it.pop()
 	}
 
 	// Continue iteration to the next child
-outer:
 	for {
 		if len(it.stack) == 0 {
-			it.trie = nil
-			return nil
+			return nil, nil, nil, iteratorEnd
 		}
 		parent := it.stack[len(it.stack)-1]
 		ancestor := parent.hash
@@ -209,63 +215,76 @@ outer:
 			ancestor = parent.parent
 		}
 		if node, ok := parent.node.(*fullNode); ok {
-			// Full node, iterate over children
-			for parent.child++; parent.child < len(node.Children); parent.child++ {
-				child := node.Children[parent.child]
+			// Full node, move to the first non-nil child.
+			for i := parent.index + 1; i < len(node.Children); i++ {
+				child := node.Children[i]
 				if child != nil {
 					hash, _ := child.cache()
-					it.stack = append(it.stack, &nodeIteratorState{
+					state := &nodeIteratorState{
 						hash:    common.BytesToHash(hash),
 						node:    child,
 						parent:  ancestor,
-						child:   -1,
+						index:   -1,
 						pathlen: len(it.path),
-					})
-					it.path = append(it.path, byte(parent.child))
-					break outer
+					}
+					path := append(it.path, byte(i))
+					parent.index = i - 1
+					return state, &parent.index, path, nil
 				}
 			}
 		} else if node, ok := parent.node.(*shortNode); ok {
 			// Short node, return the pointer singleton child
-			if parent.child < 0 {
-				parent.child++
+			if parent.index < 0 {
 				hash, _ := node.Val.cache()
-				it.stack = append(it.stack, &nodeIteratorState{
+				state := &nodeIteratorState{
 					hash:    common.BytesToHash(hash),
 					node:    node.Val,
 					parent:  ancestor,
-					child:   -1,
+					index:   -1,
 					pathlen: len(it.path),
-				})
+				}
+				var path []byte
 				if hasTerm(node.Key) {
-					it.path = append(it.path, node.Key[:len(node.Key)-1]...)
+					path = append(it.path, node.Key[:len(node.Key)-1]...)
 				} else {
-					it.path = append(it.path, node.Key...)
+					path = append(it.path, node.Key...)
 				}
-				break
+				return state, &parent.index, path, nil
 			}
 		} else if hash, ok := parent.node.(hashNode); ok {
 			// Hash node, resolve the hash child from the database
-			if parent.child < 0 {
-				parent.child++
+			if parent.index < 0 {
 				node, err := it.trie.resolveHash(hash, nil, nil)
 				if err != nil {
-					return err
+					return it.stack[len(it.stack)-1], &parent.index, it.path, err
 				}
-				it.stack = append(it.stack, &nodeIteratorState{
+				state := &nodeIteratorState{
 					hash:    common.BytesToHash(hash),
 					node:    node,
 					parent:  ancestor,
-					child:   -1,
+					index:   -1,
 					pathlen: len(it.path),
-				})
-				break
+				}
+				return state, &parent.index, it.path, nil
 			}
 		}
-		it.path = it.path[:parent.pathlen]
-		it.stack = it.stack[:len(it.stack)-1]
+		// No more child nodes, move back up.
+		it.pop()
 	}
-	return nil
+}
+
+func (it *nodeIterator) push(state *nodeIteratorState, parentIndex *int, path []byte) {
+	it.path = path
+	it.stack = append(it.stack, state)
+	if parentIndex != nil {
+		*parentIndex += 1
+	}
+}
+
+func (it *nodeIterator) pop() {
+	parent := it.stack[len(it.stack)-1]
+	it.path = it.path[:parent.pathlen]
+	it.stack = it.stack[:len(it.stack)-1]
 }
 
 func compareNodes(a, b NodeIterator) int {
diff --git a/trie/iterator_test.go b/trie/iterator_test.go
index c101bb7b0973c56ef5f96dba2d8318797139b1e2..f161fd99d8b985d7e1bb81382c3254dd23f5abb0 100644
--- a/trie/iterator_test.go
+++ b/trie/iterator_test.go
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 package trie
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
@@ -42,7 +44,7 @@ func TestIterator(t *testing.T) {
 	trie.Commit()
 
 	found := make(map[string]string)
-	it := NewIterator(trie)
+	it := NewIterator(trie.NodeIterator(nil))
 	for it.Next() {
 		found[string(it.Key)] = string(it.Value)
 	}
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ func TestIteratorLargeData(t *testing.T) {
 		vals[string(value2.k)] = value2
 	}
 
-	it := NewIterator(trie)
+	it := NewIterator(trie.NodeIterator(nil))
 	for it.Next() {
 		vals[string(it.Key)].t = true
 	}
@@ -99,7 +101,7 @@ func TestNodeIteratorCoverage(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Gather all the node hashes found by the iterator
 	hashes := make(map[common.Hash]struct{})
-	for it := NewNodeIterator(trie); it.Next(true); {
+	for it := trie.NodeIterator(nil); it.Next(true); {
 		if it.Hash() != (common.Hash{}) {
 			hashes[it.Hash()] = struct{}{}
 		}
@@ -117,18 +119,20 @@ func TestNodeIteratorCoverage(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-var testdata1 = []struct{ k, v string }{
-	{"bar", "b"},
+type kvs struct{ k, v string }
+
+var testdata1 = []kvs{
 	{"barb", "ba"},
-	{"bars", "bb"},
 	{"bard", "bc"},
+	{"bars", "bb"},
+	{"bar", "b"},
 	{"fab", "z"},
-	{"foo", "a"},
 	{"food", "ab"},
 	{"foos", "aa"},
+	{"foo", "a"},
 }
 
-var testdata2 = []struct{ k, v string }{
+var testdata2 = []kvs{
 	{"aardvark", "c"},
 	{"bar", "b"},
 	{"barb", "bd"},
@@ -140,6 +144,47 @@ var testdata2 = []struct{ k, v string }{
 	{"jars", "d"},
 }
 
+func TestIteratorSeek(t *testing.T) {
+	trie := newEmpty()
+	for _, val := range testdata1 {
+		trie.Update([]byte(val.k), []byte(val.v))
+	}
+
+	// Seek to the middle.
+	it := NewIterator(trie.NodeIterator([]byte("fab")))
+	if err := checkIteratorOrder(testdata1[4:], it); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Seek to a non-existent key.
+	it = NewIterator(trie.NodeIterator([]byte("barc")))
+	if err := checkIteratorOrder(testdata1[1:], it); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Seek beyond the end.
+	it = NewIterator(trie.NodeIterator([]byte("z")))
+	if err := checkIteratorOrder(nil, it); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
+
+func checkIteratorOrder(want []kvs, it *Iterator) error {
+	for it.Next() {
+		if len(want) == 0 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("didn't expect any more values, got key %q", it.Key)
+		}
+		if !bytes.Equal(it.Key, []byte(want[0].k)) {
+			return fmt.Errorf("wrong key: got %q, want %q", it.Key, want[0].k)
+		}
+		want = want[1:]
+	}
+	if len(want) > 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("iterator ended early, want key %q", want[0])
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func TestDifferenceIterator(t *testing.T) {
 	triea := newEmpty()
 	for _, val := range testdata1 {
@@ -154,8 +199,8 @@ func TestDifferenceIterator(t *testing.T) {
 	trieb.Commit()
 
 	found := make(map[string]string)
-	di, _ := NewDifferenceIterator(NewNodeIterator(triea), NewNodeIterator(trieb))
-	it := NewIteratorFromNodeIterator(di)
+	di, _ := NewDifferenceIterator(triea.NodeIterator(nil), trieb.NodeIterator(nil))
+	it := NewIterator(di)
 	for it.Next() {
 		found[string(it.Key)] = string(it.Value)
 	}
@@ -189,8 +234,8 @@ func TestUnionIterator(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	trieb.Commit()
 
-	di, _ := NewUnionIterator([]NodeIterator{NewNodeIterator(triea), NewNodeIterator(trieb)})
-	it := NewIteratorFromNodeIterator(di)
+	di, _ := NewUnionIterator([]NodeIterator{triea.NodeIterator(nil), trieb.NodeIterator(nil)})
+	it := NewIterator(di)
 
 	all := []struct{ k, v string }{
 		{"aardvark", "c"},
diff --git a/trie/node.go b/trie/node.go
index 4aa0cab65a5023447a8875d05193d0419f79ca85..a7697fc0c6565a02a8ebd51c9075c6934b3ab50b 100644
--- a/trie/node.go
+++ b/trie/node.go
@@ -139,8 +139,8 @@ func decodeShort(hash, buf, elems []byte, cachegen uint16) (node, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	flag := nodeFlag{hash: hash, gen: cachegen}
-	key := compactDecode(kbuf)
-	if key[len(key)-1] == 16 {
+	key := compactToHex(kbuf)
+	if hasTerm(key) {
 		// value node
 		val, _, err := rlp.SplitString(rest)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/trie/proof.go b/trie/proof.go
index 06cf827ab1f1b3511cccd569c69afa7e817b075e..fb7734b86dbab9ff388f82e167571592e8036f07 100644
--- a/trie/proof.go
+++ b/trie/proof.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ import (
 // absence of the key.
 func (t *Trie) Prove(key []byte) []rlp.RawValue {
 	// Collect all nodes on the path to key.
-	key = compactHexDecode(key)
+	key = keybytesToHex(key)
 	nodes := []node{}
 	tn := t.root
 	for len(key) > 0 && tn != nil {
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ func (t *Trie) Prove(key []byte) []rlp.RawValue {
 // returns an error if the proof contains invalid trie nodes or the
 // wrong value.
 func VerifyProof(rootHash common.Hash, key []byte, proof []rlp.RawValue) (value []byte, err error) {
-	key = compactHexDecode(key)
+	key = keybytesToHex(key)
 	sha := sha3.NewKeccak256()
 	wantHash := rootHash.Bytes()
 	for i, buf := range proof {
diff --git a/trie/secure_trie.go b/trie/secure_trie.go
index 113fb6a1afa8098e0b864cf1b558d201245c1041..37d1d4b092cd79c3ea039e60ded430556b2ca4d9 100644
--- a/trie/secure_trie.go
+++ b/trie/secure_trie.go
@@ -156,12 +156,10 @@ func (t *SecureTrie) Root() []byte {
 	return t.trie.Root()
 }
 
-func (t *SecureTrie) Iterator() *Iterator {
-	return t.trie.Iterator()
-}
-
-func (t *SecureTrie) NodeIterator() NodeIterator {
-	return NewNodeIterator(&t.trie)
+// NodeIterator returns an iterator that returns nodes of the underlying trie. Iteration
+// starts at the key after the given start key.
+func (t *SecureTrie) NodeIterator(start []byte) NodeIterator {
+	return t.trie.NodeIterator(start)
 }
 
 // CommitTo writes all nodes and the secure hash pre-images to the given database.
diff --git a/trie/sync_test.go b/trie/sync_test.go
index acae039cd5a2d8d3ec4b8a1bc7ec5697a90abedb..1e27cbb676c2ef75a5cdd0d79871b63ddf02c24a 100644
--- a/trie/sync_test.go
+++ b/trie/sync_test.go
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ func checkTrieConsistency(db Database, root common.Hash) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil // // Consider a non existent state consistent
 	}
-	it := NewNodeIterator(trie)
+	it := trie.NodeIterator(nil)
 	for it.Next(true) {
 	}
 	return it.Error()
diff --git a/trie/trie.go b/trie/trie.go
index 2a6044068907d93ac0cdac46a2b41efcd4712aa3..5759f97e3afa686a75d2ec8c07b8fe8f0c17f404 100644
--- a/trie/trie.go
+++ b/trie/trie.go
@@ -125,9 +125,10 @@ func New(root common.Hash, db Database) (*Trie, error) {
 	return trie, nil
 }
 
-// Iterator returns an iterator over all mappings in the trie.
-func (t *Trie) Iterator() *Iterator {
-	return NewIterator(t)
+// NodeIterator returns an iterator that returns nodes of the trie. Iteration starts at
+// the key after the given start key.
+func (t *Trie) NodeIterator(start []byte) NodeIterator {
+	return newNodeIterator(t, start)
 }
 
 // Get returns the value for key stored in the trie.
@@ -144,7 +145,7 @@ func (t *Trie) Get(key []byte) []byte {
 // The value bytes must not be modified by the caller.
 // If a node was not found in the database, a MissingNodeError is returned.
 func (t *Trie) TryGet(key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
-	key = compactHexDecode(key)
+	key = keybytesToHex(key)
 	value, newroot, didResolve, err := t.tryGet(t.root, key, 0)
 	if err == nil && didResolve {
 		t.root = newroot
@@ -211,7 +212,7 @@ func (t *Trie) Update(key, value []byte) {
 //
 // If a node was not found in the database, a MissingNodeError is returned.
 func (t *Trie) TryUpdate(key, value []byte) error {
-	k := compactHexDecode(key)
+	k := keybytesToHex(key)
 	if len(value) != 0 {
 		_, n, err := t.insert(t.root, nil, k, valueNode(value))
 		if err != nil {
@@ -307,7 +308,7 @@ func (t *Trie) Delete(key []byte) {
 // TryDelete removes any existing value for key from the trie.
 // If a node was not found in the database, a MissingNodeError is returned.
 func (t *Trie) TryDelete(key []byte) error {
-	k := compactHexDecode(key)
+	k := keybytesToHex(key)
 	_, n, err := t.delete(t.root, nil, k)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -450,7 +451,6 @@ func (t *Trie) resolveHash(n hashNode, prefix, suffix []byte) (node, error) {
 		return nil, &MissingNodeError{
 			RootHash:  t.originalRoot,
 			NodeHash:  common.BytesToHash(n),
-			Key:       compactHexEncode(append(prefix, suffix...)),
 			PrefixLen: len(prefix),
 			SuffixLen: len(suffix),
 		}
diff --git a/trie/trie_test.go b/trie/trie_test.go
index 01ae3a4e7b09b735529a9ff472bea555e188a677..61adbba0ca8799e183bf6f5ae4aa8f0f706f1b53 100644
--- a/trie/trie_test.go
+++ b/trie/trie_test.go
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ func runRandTest(rt randTest) bool {
 			tr = newtr
 		case opItercheckhash:
 			checktr, _ := New(common.Hash{}, nil)
-			it := tr.Iterator()
+			it := NewIterator(tr.NodeIterator(nil))
 			for it.Next() {
 				checktr.Update(it.Key, it.Value)
 			}