diff --git a/etc/spack/defaults/config.yaml b/etc/spack/defaults/config.yaml
index ba8f9879bab..37ec464a8b9 100644
--- a/etc/spack/defaults/config.yaml
+++ b/etc/spack/defaults/config.yaml
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ config:
 
 
   ## Directory where spack managed environments are created and stored
-  environments_root: $spack/var/spack/environments
+  # environments_root: $spack/var/spack/environments
 
 
   # Cache directory for miscellaneous files, like the package index.
diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/environment/environment.py b/lib/spack/spack/environment/environment.py
index 2f89548f8d2..7bf32d8f40c 100644
--- a/lib/spack/spack/environment/environment.py
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/environment/environment.py
@@ -62,11 +62,8 @@
 _active_environment = None
 
 
-#: path where environments are stored in the spack tree
-# circular dependency to use canonicalize_path but we want to ignore an active env anyways
-# env_path = spack.config.get(os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser("config:environments_root")))
-def env_path():
-    return spack.util.path.canonicalize_path(spack.config.get("config:environments_root"), False)
+#: default path where environments are stored in the spack tree
+env_path = os.path.join(spack.paths.var_path, "environments")
 
 
 #: Name of the input yaml file for an environment
@@ -80,6 +77,14 @@ def env_path():
 #: Name of the directory where environments store repos, logs, views
 env_subdir_name = ".spack-env"
 
+def env_root_path():
+    """Override default root path if the user specified it"""
+    config_path = spack.config.get("config:environments_root", default = None)
+    if config_path:
+        return config_path
+    else:
+        return env_path
+
 
 def default_manifest_yaml():
     """default spack.yaml file to put in new environments"""
@@ -208,7 +213,7 @@ def active_environment():
 
 def _root(name):
     """Non-validating version of root(), to be used internally."""
-    return os.path.join(env_path(), name)
+    return os.path.join(env_root_path(), name)
 
 
 def root(name):
@@ -260,10 +265,10 @@ def all_environment_names():
     """List the names of environments that currently exist."""
     # just return empty if the env path does not exist.  A read-only
     # operation like list should not try to create a directory.
-    if not os.path.exists(env_path()):
+    if not os.path.exists(env_root_path()):
         return []
 
-    candidates = sorted(os.listdir(env_path()))
+    candidates = sorted(os.listdir(env_root_path()))
     names = []
     for candidate in candidates:
         yaml_path = os.path.join(_root(candidate), manifest_name)
@@ -845,7 +850,7 @@ def clear(self, re_read=False):
     @property
     def internal(self):
         """Whether this environment is managed by Spack."""
-        return self.path.startswith(env_path())
+        return self.path.startswith(env_root_path())
 
     @property
     def name(self):
diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/test/conftest.py b/lib/spack/spack/test/conftest.py
index 845abae6454..ed8dc0f9bd4 100644
--- a/lib/spack/spack/test/conftest.py
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/test/conftest.py
@@ -1493,13 +1493,11 @@ def get_rev():
 @pytest.fixture()
 def mutable_mock_env_path(tmpdir_factory):
     """Fixture for mocking the internal spack environments directory."""
-    saved_path_fun = ev.environment.env_path
+    saved_path = ev.environment.env_path
     mock_path = tmpdir_factory.mktemp("mock-env-path")
-    def mock_fun():
-       return str(mock_path)
-    ev.environment.env_path = mock_fun
+    ev.environment.env_path = str(mock_path)
     yield mock_path
-    ev.environment.env_path = saved_path_fun
+    ev.environment.env_path = saved_path
 
 
 @pytest.fixture()