diff --git a/cmd/dep/integration_test.go b/cmd/dep/integration_test.go
index 672f1aa071..8f1acb9f96 100644
--- a/cmd/dep/integration_test.go
+++ b/cmd/dep/integration_test.go
@@ -65,31 +65,57 @@ func TestDepCachedir(t *testing.T) {
 
 	initPath := filepath.Join("testdata", "cachedir")
 
-	testProj := integration.NewTestProject(t, initPath, wd, runMain)
-	defer testProj.Cleanup()
+	t.Run("env-cachedir", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		testProj := integration.NewTestProject(t, initPath, wd, runMain)
+		defer testProj.Cleanup()
 
-	testProj.TempDir("cachedir")
-	cachedir := testProj.Path("cachedir")
-	testProj.Setenv("DEPCACHEDIR", cachedir)
+		testProj.TempDir("cachedir")
+		cachedir := testProj.Path("cachedir")
+		testProj.Setenv("DEPCACHEDIR", cachedir)
 
-	// Running `dep ensure` will pull in the dependency into cachedir.
-	err = testProj.DoRun([]string{"ensure"})
-	if err != nil {
-		// Log the error output from running `dep ensure`, could be useful.
-		t.Log(testProj.GetStderr())
-		t.Fatalf("got an unexpected error: %s", err.Error())
-	}
+		// Running `dep ensure` will pull in the dependency into cachedir.
+		err = testProj.DoRun([]string{"ensure"})
+		if err != nil {
+			// Log the error output from running `dep ensure`, could be useful.
+			t.Logf("`dep ensure` error output: \n%s", testProj.GetStderr())
+			t.Errorf("got an unexpected error: %s", err)
+		}
 
-	// Check that the cache was created in the cachedir. Our fixture has the dependency
-	// `github.com/sdboyer/deptest`
-	_, err = os.Stat(testProj.Path("cachedir", "sources", "https---github.com-sdboyer-deptest"))
-	if err != nil {
-		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
-			t.Fatal("Expected cachedir to have been populated but none was found")
-		} else {
-			t.Fatalf("Got unexpected error: %s", err)
+		// Check that the cache was created in the cachedir. Our fixture has the dependency
+		// `github.com/sdboyer/deptest`
+		_, err = os.Stat(testProj.Path("cachedir", "sources", "https---github.com-sdboyer-deptest"))
+		if err != nil {
+			if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+				t.Error("expected cachedir to have been populated but none was found")
+			} else {
+				t.Errorf("got an unexpected error: %s", err)
+			}
 		}
-	}
+	})
+	t.Run("env-invalid-cachedir", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		testProj := integration.NewTestProject(t, initPath, wd, runMain)
+		defer testProj.Cleanup()
+
+		cachedir := "/invalid/path"
+		testProj.Setenv("DEPCACHEDIR", cachedir)
+		wantErr := fmt.Sprintf(
+			"dep: $DEPCACHEDIR set to an invalid or inaccessible path: %q", cachedir,
+		)
+
+		// Running `dep ensure` will pull in the dependency into cachedir.
+		err = testProj.DoRun([]string{"ensure"})
+
+		if err == nil {
+			// Log the output from running `dep ensure`, could be useful.
+			t.Logf("test run output: \n%s\n%s", testProj.GetStdout(), testProj.GetStderr())
+			t.Error("unexpected result: \n\t(GOT) nil\n\t(WNT) exit status 1")
+		} else if gotErr := strings.TrimSpace(testProj.GetStderr()); gotErr != wantErr {
+			t.Errorf("unexpected error output: \n\t(GOT) %s\n\t(WNT) %s", gotErr, wantErr)
+		}
+	})
+
 }
 
 // execCmd is a test.RunFunc which runs the program in another process.
diff --git a/cmd/dep/main.go b/cmd/dep/main.go
index 34fcd7a1cb..bf15060e6d 100644
--- a/cmd/dep/main.go
+++ b/cmd/dep/main.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 	"text/tabwriter"
 
 	"github.com/golang/dep"
+	"github.com/golang/dep/internal/fs"
 )
 
 type command interface {
@@ -121,18 +122,18 @@ func (c *Config) Run() (exitCode int) {
 	for _, cmd := range commands {
 		if cmd.Name() == cmdName {
 			// Build flag set with global flags in there.
-			fs := flag.NewFlagSet(cmdName, flag.ContinueOnError)
-			fs.SetOutput(c.Stderr)
-			verbose := fs.Bool("v", false, "enable verbose logging")
+			flags := flag.NewFlagSet(cmdName, flag.ContinueOnError)
+			flags.SetOutput(c.Stderr)
+			verbose := flags.Bool("v", false, "enable verbose logging")
 
 			// Register the subcommand flags in there, too.
-			cmd.Register(fs)
+			cmd.Register(flags)
 
 			// Override the usage text to something nicer.
-			resetUsage(errLogger, fs, cmdName, cmd.Args(), cmd.LongHelp())
+			resetUsage(errLogger, flags, cmdName, cmd.Args(), cmd.LongHelp())
 
 			if printCommandHelp {
-				fs.Usage()
+				flags.Usage()
 				exitCode = 1
 				return
 			}
@@ -140,7 +141,7 @@ func (c *Config) Run() (exitCode int) {
 			// Parse the flags the user gave us.
 			// flag package automatically prints usage and error message in err != nil
 			// or if '-h' flag provided
-			if err := fs.Parse(c.Args[2:]); err != nil {
+			if err := flags.Parse(c.Args[2:]); err != nil {
 				exitCode = 1
 				return
 			}
@@ -148,6 +149,13 @@ func (c *Config) Run() (exitCode int) {
 			// Cachedir is loaded from env if present. `$GOPATH/pkg/dep` is used as the
 			// fallback cache location.
 			cachedir := getEnv(c.Env, "DEPCACHEDIR")
+			if cachedir != "" && !fs.IsValidPath(cachedir) {
+				errLogger.Printf(
+					"dep: $DEPCACHEDIR set to an invalid or inaccessible path: %q\n", cachedir,
+				)
+				exitCode = 1
+				return
+			}
 
 			// Set up dep context.
 			ctx := &dep.Ctx{
@@ -162,7 +170,7 @@ func (c *Config) Run() (exitCode int) {
 			ctx.SetPaths(c.WorkingDir, GOPATHS...)
 
 			// Run the command with the post-flag-processing args.
-			if err := cmd.Run(ctx, fs.Args()); err != nil {
+			if err := cmd.Run(ctx, flags.Args()); err != nil {
 				errLogger.Printf("%v\n", err)
 				exitCode = 1
 				return
diff --git a/internal/fs/fs.go b/internal/fs/fs.go
index bfacfd95af..874d075989 100644
--- a/internal/fs/fs.go
+++ b/internal/fs/fs.go
@@ -480,6 +480,24 @@ func cloneSymlink(sl, dst string) error {
 	return os.Symlink(resolved, dst)
 }
 
+// IsValidPath checks if the given string is a valid path.
+func IsValidPath(fp string) bool {
+	// See https://stackoverflow.com/questions/35231846/golang-check-if-string-is-valid-path
+	// Check if file/dir already exists
+	if _, err := os.Stat(fp); err == nil {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	// Attempt to create it
+	var d []byte
+	if err := ioutil.WriteFile(fp, d, 0644); err == nil {
+		os.Remove(fp) // And delete it
+		return true
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
+
 // IsDir determines is the path given is a directory or not.
 func IsDir(name string) (bool, error) {
 	fi, err := os.Stat(name)
diff --git a/internal/fs/fs_test.go b/internal/fs/fs_test.go
index 4b9422dd88..63a86cb7cd 100644
--- a/internal/fs/fs_test.go
+++ b/internal/fs/fs_test.go
@@ -837,6 +837,47 @@ func setupInaccessibleDir(t *testing.T, op func(dir string) error) func() {
 	return cleanup
 }
 
+func TestIsValidPath(t *testing.T) {
+	wd, err := os.Getwd()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var dn string
+
+	cleanup := setupInaccessibleDir(t, func(dir string) error {
+		dn = filepath.Join(dir, "dir")
+		return os.Mkdir(dn, 0777)
+	})
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	tests := map[string]bool{
+		wd: true,
+		filepath.Join(wd, "testdata"):                       true,
+		filepath.Join(wd, "main.go"):                        true,
+		filepath.Join(wd, "this_file_does_not_exist.thing"): true,
+		dn:              false,
+		"":              false,
+		"/invalid/path": false,
+	}
+
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		// This test doesn't work on Microsoft Windows because
+		// of the differences in how file permissions are
+		// implemented. For this to work, the directory where
+		// the directory exists should be inaccessible.
+		delete(tests, dn)
+	}
+
+	for fp, want := range tests {
+		got := IsValidPath(fp)
+
+		if got != want {
+			t.Fatalf("expected %t for %s, got %t", want, fp, got)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestIsRegular(t *testing.T) {
 	wd, err := os.Getwd()
 	if err != nil {