The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Coastal Kayaking Tours and Acadia Bike.
TRENTON—It takes a certain amount of courage and a staunch belief in an idea to open a business from the ground up. Literally from the ground up. Where once there was only dirt now exists the fruits of labor: an exhibit of belief, hope, and the future.
Local residents, business owners, parents, and sometimes community heroes, Morgan and Colton Sanborn have that courage and that belief, and on Thursday, July 23, they opened their newest venture to the public for an open house and ribbon cutting event.
If it weren’t for the newly installed sign at 126 Bar Harbor Road, in Trenton, a passerby probably would not even realize that Acadia Timber Cottages exists.
Sitting far back off the road on a total of 80 acres, 50 acres in Trenton and 30 acres in Lamoine, the 17 completed cottages form their own little enclave, like a private, quiet neighborhood nestled in the woods.
According to its website, “Acadia Timber Cottages is the vision of Colton and Morgan Sanborn, a local husband-and-wife team who dreamed of creating a special place for travelers to experience the beauty of Maine. Built from the ground up in 2025, our cottages reflect a deep love for the outdoors and a commitment to offering guests a unique, comfortable, and upscale stay just minutes from Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor.”
The Sanborns jumped feet first into the hospitality industry in 2018 when they purchased Timberland Acres RV Park in Trenton. With over 200 RV and tent sites on 35 acres their seven years of experience here, combined with Colton’s lifelong knowledge of heavy construction and earthwork, melded to form a solid foundation for this newest venture.
The cottages at Acadia Timber were already listed and being rented by the time of the ribbon cutting. There were eight arrivals due that day, in fact, and while there are currently only 17 completed and being rented, the property is permitted for up to 60 rental units. The permits are for 59 cottages and one rental unit in a larger building that will serve as the office and check in building in the future and will be situated closer to the entrance.
Cottages come with heat pumps, radiant floor heating, WiFI, and full kitchens.
“I think it’s good that locals are still in the community and running businesses. We want to welcome people and if they have any questions, please reach out. We are open to talk about anything and we are here, we live here, year-round,” Morgan said.
Not only do the Sanborns live in the area year-round, but the cottages will be available for rent year-round.
Sharing a similar layout of two bedrooms, one bath, with an open living and kitchen area, the cottages are all the same with the exception of being able to choose between two king size beds or one king size bed and two twin size beds.
Colton is active in his family’s construction company, John Goodwin JR and active in the Southwest Harbor Fire Department. Goodwin was one of the local companies that volunteered and created a temporary fix for Southwest Harbor’s Seawall Road, which had been devastated by winter storms this past year and is still awaiting a permanent fix from the MaineDOT.
In the fall of 2018 the couple purchased Timberland Acres RV Park, which is 100 acres of instant family every summer as some campers stay for the season (seasonals) and others stay for shorter times.
The former owners Liz and Jimmie Awalt created a campground and then RV park where seasonal renters mixed with tourists, where some people returned for decades to their RV spots on one of the narrow roads in the campground that extends back from Route 3. Flamingos, decks, golf carts, container gardens sprouted up in those spots as those seasonal renters made the sites their own.
Though the Awalts didn’t originally intend to make a campground, they eventually cut wood on what they’d just imagined would always be a wood lot, cleared approximately 30 acres, and started welcoming campers. As they retired, their daughter Debbie Ehrlenbach and her husband, Lincoln, performed a lot of the campground’s management. The park’s slogan was “Where the Friendly People Meet.”
The Sanborns have since opened The Tavern at Timberland at Timberland Acres, opened the campground for community-wide seasonal celebrations and light shows, and hosted musicians.
Unless otherwise cited, all photos/video: Shaun Farrar/BHS
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