diff --git a/lib/configproxy.js b/lib/configproxy.js
index 7a98b730..1e862bcc 100644
--- a/lib/configproxy.js
+++ b/lib/configproxy.js
@@ -130,6 +130,11 @@ const loadStorage = (options) => {
   return new store.MemoryStore(options);
 };
 
+function _logUrl(url) {
+  // format a url for logging, e.g. strip url params
+  if (url) return url.split("?", 1)[0];
+}
+
 class ConfigurableProxy extends EventEmitter {
   constructor(options) {
     super();
@@ -198,7 +203,7 @@ class ConfigurableProxy extends EventEmitter {
     var logErrors = (handler) => {
       return function (req, res) {
         function logError(e) {
-          that.log.error("Error in handler for " + req.method + " " + req.url + ": %s", e);
+          that.log.error("Error in handler for %s %s: %s", req.method, _logUrl(req.url), e);
         }
         try {
           let p = handler.apply(that, arguments);
@@ -246,7 +251,7 @@ class ConfigurableProxy extends EventEmitter {
       logF = this.log.error;
     }
     var msg = res._logMsg || "";
-    logF("%s %s %s %s", code, req.method.toUpperCase(), req.url, msg);
+    logF("%s %s %s %s", code, req.method.toUpperCase(), _logUrl(req.url), msg);
   }
 
   addRoute(path, data) {
@@ -444,7 +449,7 @@ class ConfigurableProxy extends EventEmitter {
           errMsg = e;
       }
     }
-    this.log.error("%s %s %s %s", code, req.method, req.url, errMsg);
+    this.log.error("%s %s %s %s", code, req.method, _logUrl(req.url), errMsg);
     if (!res) {
       this.log.debug("Socket error, no response to send");
       // socket-level error, no response to build
@@ -541,7 +546,7 @@ class ConfigurableProxy extends EventEmitter {
       }
       var prefix = match.prefix;
       var target = match.target;
-      that.log.debug("PROXY %s %s to %s", kind.toUpperCase(), req.url, target);
+      that.log.debug("PROXY %s %s to %s", kind.toUpperCase(), _logUrl(req.url), target);
       if (!that.includePrefix) {
         req.url = req.url.slice(prefix.length);
       }
@@ -575,8 +580,24 @@ class ConfigurableProxy extends EventEmitter {
         that.updateLastActivity(prefix);
       });
 
-      // update last activity timestamp in routing table
-      return that.updateLastActivity(prefix);
+      if (kind === "web") {
+        // update last activity on completion of the request
+        // only consider 'successful' requests activity
+        // A flood of invalid requests such as 404s or 403s
+        // or 503s because the endpoint is down
+        // shouldn't make it look like the endpoint is 'active'
+
+        // we no longer register activity at the *start* of the request
+        // because at that point we don't know if the endpoint is even available
+        res.on("finish", function () {
+          // (don't count redirects...but should we?)
+          if (res.statusCode < 300) {
+            that.updateLastActivity(prefix);
+          } else {
+            that.log.debug("Not recording activity for status %s on %s", res.statusCode, prefix);
+          }
+        });
+      }
     });
   }