diff --git a/src/core/obj.js b/src/core/obj.js
index f1de50f59..cc2e36dd6 100644
--- a/src/core/obj.js
+++ b/src/core/obj.js
@@ -457,6 +457,46 @@ var Catalog = (function CatalogClosure() {
       }
       return shadow(this, 'destinations', dests);
     },
+    getDestination: function Catalog_getDestination(destinationId) {
+      function fetchDestination(dest) {
+        return isDict(dest) ? dest.get('D') : dest;
+      }
+
+      var xref = this.xref;
+      var dest, nameTreeRef, nameDictionaryRef;
+      var obj = this.catDict.get('Names');
+      if (obj && obj.has('Dests')) {
+        nameTreeRef = obj.getRaw('Dests');
+      } else if (this.catDict.has('Dests')) {
+        nameDictionaryRef = this.catDict.get('Dests');
+      }
+
+      if (nameDictionaryRef) {
+        // reading simple destination dictionary
+        obj = nameDictionaryRef;
+        obj.forEach(function catalogForEach(key, value) {
+          if (!value) {
+            return;
+          }
+          if (key === destinationId) {
+            dest = fetchDestination(value);
+          }
+        });
+      }
+      if (nameTreeRef) {
+        var nameTree = new NameTree(nameTreeRef, xref);
+        var names = nameTree.getAll();
+        for (var name in names) {
+          if (!names.hasOwnProperty(name)) {
+            continue;
+          }
+          if (name === destinationId) {
+            dest = fetchDestination(names[name]);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+      return dest;
+    },
     get attachments() {
       var xref = this.xref;
       var attachments = null, nameTreeRef;
diff --git a/src/core/worker.js b/src/core/worker.js
index d4deb0c8c..40d7d899e 100644
--- a/src/core/worker.js
+++ b/src/core/worker.js
@@ -325,6 +325,12 @@ var WorkerMessageHandler = PDFJS.WorkerMessageHandler = {
       }
     );
 
+    handler.on('GetDestination',
+      function wphSetupGetDestination(data) {
+        return pdfManager.ensureCatalog('getDestination', [ data.id ]);
+      }
+    );
+
     handler.on('GetAttachments',
       function wphSetupGetAttachments(data) {
         return pdfManager.ensureCatalog('attachments');
diff --git a/src/display/api.js b/src/display/api.js
index b20472231..8fc68c2ef 100644
--- a/src/display/api.js
+++ b/src/display/api.js
@@ -293,10 +293,20 @@ var PDFDocumentProxy = (function PDFDocumentProxyClosure() {
     /**
      * @return {Promise} A promise that is resolved with a lookup table for
      * mapping named destinations to reference numbers.
+     *
+     * This can be slow for large documents: use getDestination instead
      */
     getDestinations: function PDFDocumentProxy_getDestinations() {
       return this.transport.getDestinations();
     },
+    /**
+     * @param {string} id The named destination to get.
+     * @return {Promise} A promise that is resolved with all information
+     * of the given named destination.
+     */
+    getDestination: function PDFDocumentProxy_getDestination(id) {
+      return this.transport.getDestination(id);
+    },
     /**
      * @return {Promise} A promise that is resolved with a lookup table for
      * mapping named attachments to their content.
@@ -1128,6 +1138,10 @@ var WorkerTransport = (function WorkerTransportClosure() {
       return this.messageHandler.sendWithPromise('GetDestinations', null);
     },
 
+    getDestination: function WorkerTransport_getDestination(id) {
+      return this.messageHandler.sendWithPromise('GetDestination', { id: id } );
+    },
+
     getAttachments: function WorkerTransport_getAttachments() {
       return this.messageHandler.sendWithPromise('GetAttachments', null);
     },
diff --git a/test/unit/api_spec.js b/test/unit/api_spec.js
index a8ba8382d..0044764e2 100644
--- a/test/unit/api_spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/api_spec.js
@@ -123,6 +123,13 @@ describe('api', function() {
                                           0, 841.89, null] });
       });
     });
+    it('gets a destination', function() {
+      var promise = doc.getDestination('chapter1');
+      waitsForPromiseResolved(promise, function(data) {
+        expect(data).toEqual([{ gen: 0, num: 17 }, { name: 'XYZ' },
+                              0, 841.89, null]);
+      });
+    });
     it('gets attachments', function() {
       var promise = doc.getAttachments();
       waitsForPromiseResolved(promise, function (data) {
diff --git a/web/viewer.js b/web/viewer.js
index d4b449df9..95614693d 100644
--- a/web/viewer.js
+++ b/web/viewer.js
@@ -675,15 +675,19 @@ var PDFViewerApplication = {
       }
     };
 
-    this.destinationsPromise.then(function() {
-      if (typeof dest === 'string') {
-        destString = dest;
-        dest = self.destinations[dest];
-      }
-      if (!(dest instanceof Array)) {
+    var destinationPromise;
+    if (typeof dest === 'string') {
+      destString = dest;
+      destinationPromise = this.pdfDocument.getDestination(dest);
+    } else {
+      destinationPromise = Promise.resolve(dest);
+    }
+    destinationPromise.then(function(destination) {
+      dest = destination;
+      if (!(destination instanceof Array)) {
         return; // invalid destination
       }
-      goToDestination(dest[0]);
+      goToDestination(destination[0]);
     });
   },
 
@@ -984,15 +988,8 @@ var PDFViewerApplication = {
       }
     });
 
-    var destinationsPromise =
-      this.destinationsPromise = pdfDocument.getDestinations();
-    destinationsPromise.then(function(destinations) {
-      self.destinations = destinations;
-    });
-
-    // outline depends on destinations and pagesRefMap
-    var promises = [pagesPromise, destinationsPromise,
-                    this.animationStartedPromise];
+    // outline depends on pagesRefMap
+    var promises = [pagesPromise, this.animationStartedPromise];
     Promise.all(promises).then(function() {
       pdfDocument.getOutline().then(function(outline) {
         var outlineView = document.getElementById('outlineView');