diff --git a/django/db/migrations/graph.py b/django/db/migrations/graph.py
index 56b78d9056..3e3befe77f 100644
--- a/django/db/migrations/graph.py
+++ b/django/db/migrations/graph.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
+from collections import deque
 
 from django.utils.datastructures import OrderedSet
 from django.db.migrations.state import ProjectState
@@ -96,28 +97,41 @@ class MigrationGraph(object):
                 leaves.add(node)
         return sorted(leaves)
 
+    def ensure_not_cyclic(self, start, get_children):
+        # Algo from GvR:
+        # http://neopythonic.blogspot.co.uk/2009/01/detecting-cycles-in-directed-graph.html
+        todo = set(self.nodes.keys())
+        while todo:
+            node = todo.pop()
+            stack = [node]
+            while stack:
+                top = stack[-1]
+                for node in get_children(top):
+                    if node in stack:
+                        cycle = stack[stack.index(node):]
+                        raise CircularDependencyError(", ".join("%s.%s" % n for n in cycle))
+                    if node in todo:
+                        stack.append(node)
+                        todo.remove(node)
+                        break
+                else:
+                    node = stack.pop()
+
     def dfs(self, start, get_children):
         """
         Dynamic programming based depth first search, for finding dependencies.
         """
-        visited = []
+        self.ensure_not_cyclic(start, get_children)
+        visited = deque()
         visited.append(start)
-        path = [start]
-        stack = sorted(get_children(start))
+        stack = deque(sorted(get_children(start)))
         while stack:
-            node = stack.pop(0)
-
-            if node in path:
-                raise CircularDependencyError()
-            path.append(node)
-
-            visited.insert(0, node)
-            children = sorted(get_children(node))
-
-            if not children:
-                path = []
-
-            stack = children + stack
+            node = stack.popleft()
+            visited.appendleft(node)
+            children = sorted(get_children(node), reverse=True)
+            # reverse sorting is needed because prepending using deque.extendleft
+            # also effectively reverses values
+            stack.extendleft(children)
 
         return list(OrderedSet(visited))
 
diff --git a/tests/migrations/test_graph.py b/tests/migrations/test_graph.py
index 3fcdd12667..3e066ed1f3 100644
--- a/tests/migrations/test_graph.py
+++ b/tests/migrations/test_graph.py
@@ -134,6 +134,20 @@ class GraphTests(TestCase):
             graph.forwards_plan, ("app_a", "0003"),
         )
 
+    def test_circular_graph_2(self):
+        graph = MigrationGraph()
+        graph.add_node(('A', '0001'), None)
+        graph.add_node(('C', '0001'), None)
+        graph.add_node(('B', '0001'), None)
+        graph.add_dependency('A.0001', ('A', '0001'),('B', '0001'))
+        graph.add_dependency('B.0001', ('B', '0001'),('A', '0001'))
+        graph.add_dependency('C.0001', ('C', '0001'),('B', '0001'))
+
+        self.assertRaises(
+            CircularDependencyError,
+            graph.forwards_plan, ('C', '0001')
+        )
+
     def test_dfs(self):
         graph = MigrationGraph()
         root = ("app_a", "1")
@@ -188,3 +202,30 @@ class GraphTests(TestCase):
         msg = "Migration app_a.0002 dependencies reference nonexistent child node ('app_a', '0002')"
         with self.assertRaisesMessage(KeyError, msg):
             graph.add_dependency("app_a.0002", ("app_a", "0002"), ("app_a", "0001"))
+
+    def test_infinite_loop(self):
+        """
+        Tests a complex dependency graph:
+
+        app_a:        0001 <-
+                             \
+        app_b:        0001 <- x 0002 <-
+                       /               \
+        app_c:   0001<-  <------------- x 0002
+
+        And apply sqashing on app_c.
+        """
+        graph = MigrationGraph()
+
+        graph.add_node(("app_a", "0001"), None)
+        graph.add_node(("app_b", "0001"), None)
+        graph.add_node(("app_b", "0002"), None)
+        graph.add_node(("app_c", "0001_squashed_0002"), None)
+
+        graph.add_dependency("app_b.0001", ("app_b", "0001"), ("app_c", "0001_squashed_0002"))
+        graph.add_dependency("app_b.0002", ("app_b", "0002"), ("app_a", "0001"))
+        graph.add_dependency("app_b.0002", ("app_b", "0002"), ("app_b", "0001"))
+        graph.add_dependency("app_c.0001_squashed_0002", ("app_c", "0001_squashed_0002"), ("app_b", "0002"))
+
+        with self.assertRaises(CircularDependencyError):
+            graph.forwards_plan(("app_c", "0001_squashed_0002"))