The water itself provides a multitude of services. Bear, being extremely warm blooded, use the refreshing waters to drink, bath, and simply cool off. Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries flourish on well-drained banks of creeks and rivers. In addition to the dietary and rejuvenating capacities of running water, a river or creek eventually leads to a swamp. Thick, nasty, wet, deep, and dark swamps are where black bears spend a great deal of the daytime hours.
Swamps are typically undeveloped, and bear prefer the original lay of the land.
Swamps are generally uninhabited, and bear simply do not like people, with the possible exception of food-scrap filled trashcans during a drought. These factors are important because when bears enter a swamp they're likely arriving for an uninterrupted nap. We know that bear utilize swamps, we also know that running water both forms swamps and leads to it. The question then is where do bears or a specific bear enter and exit the swamp. The answer lies in tunnels through brush.