This is old post, but i faced similar problem and i created a simple solution.
I created a duplicate state & route (but unique name). This route with slightly different url pointing to same controller, receiving same params. It’s no longer switching tab and getting a nice back button. So to replicate your example:
.state('tab.galleriesToExhibition', {
url: '/galleries/:id/Exhid/:exid',
views: {
'gallery-tab': {
templateUrl: 'templates/galleries.html',
controller: 'GalleriesIndexCtrl'
}
}
})