The refractive index changes have been time resolved in crystalline Ge near the direct‐band‐gap (0.8 eV, 1.55 &mgr;m) following femtosecond pulse excitation at room temperature. Measurements were made for 1.485<&lgr;<1.55 &mgr;m using degenerate pump‐probe transmission and reflection spectroscopy with 120 fs pulses from an optical parametric oscillator. Resonant excitation leads to large refractive index changes (≳10−3for 1017cm−3carrier density) dominated by band filling and carrier screening effects. Unlike the much slower recovery observed in direct gap semiconductors, the refractive index change disappears with a time constant of 230 fs due to intervalley scattering of electrons to the lower energyLvalley in this indirect‐gap semiconductor. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.