After leaving the series, Nelson continued with guest roles on "Wagon Train", "Tales of Wells Fargo", "The Tab Hunter Show", "Bachelor Father", and "Armstrong Circle Theatre". She took a 10-year break from acting in 1961 and returned with a guest role in "Family Affair" in 1971. Dramatically Nelson worked sporadically thereafter. She made only three on-screen appearances in the 1990s, including a role in the direct-to-video release "Mom, Can I Keep Her?" (1998). Her last role was in the 2005 low-budget science fiction horror film "The Naked Monster", in which she reprised her role from "Revenge of the Creature".